A New Life B1: Family and Friends
by bibliophile030
Summary: Complete. B.1: What if Shiba Kaien didn't return to the cycle of souls after he died? What if some part of his soul was trapped in Aaroniero? This is the story of Kaien's second chance at life. He'll travel back in time to the beginning of the story as a new - but old - soul, a hybrid of human, Shinigami, and hollow. Time Travel. AU. No pairings.
1. Part 1 - Low Tide

Part 1 – Low Tide

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A/N: I thought that there should be more stories featuring Kaien. I really liked the character, even if he played a very small role in the storyline. So why not a time-travel fanfiction with him as our time traveler. Hope someone likes this one. My first time-travel story, in fact, and first Bleach fan fiction. Wish me luck. And thanks to all readers.

I updated the first few chapters ~. I hope I can continue to draw inspiration from all the support from my readers, subscribers, voters, and reviewers.

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1\. Awakening

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'-ake up. Wake up. WAKE UP!'

A man with shaggy black hair stirred. He sat up with a start, eyes frantic and a bit dazed. The world around him appeared a mass of black and white.

'Awake now, dead guy? Good. Why don't we get started?'

The black-haired man swiveled his head around but saw nothing but a black horizon and a white floor. He ungracefully scrambled to his feet.

"Dead? What do you-" Flashes of memory. A dark night. Miyako. _That hollow..._ "Oh. I died. By that damn Metastacia's hands – err – tentacles."

'Yes, yes, Shiba Kaien, to state the obvious.'

"But then, where am I? I thought Rukia stopped me."

'Yes, well, there lies the conundrum. Another hollow ended up eating the dying body of Metastacia. And that's on top of Metastacia's damned ability to merge with the souls he collected and his power over zanpakuto. It, to put it lightly, screwed up your reincarnation cycle as a result of the unnaturalness of Metastacia's abilities and his subsequent death by another hollow. While the other souls were released back into the cycle, you were not. Metastacia's soul was still scrambled with your own since he didn't exactly finish eating you. Then the two of you were eaten. Arruruerie Aaroniero, the hollow in question, died and consequently dragged your soul into Hell.'

"WHAT?! This is Hell?"

'Mm. Technically you are in my Negacion. If you were in Hell proper…you'd be doomed already since you've been out for a few days. Lucky you, I happen to notice the odd reiatsu from that Arrancar that arrived here. I more or less separated you from it. But what to do with you? As a caretaker of Hell, I cannot abide a non-sinner's soul here – at least not without some due concern. But, I cannot simply kick you out as you are. Even now the paperwork concerning your presence grows. I could, of course, destroy you.'

Kaien sweat dropped at the casual tone of the voice.

'Buuut, I decided to go and contact a fellow keeper of the balance. He had considered your little problem and decided to fix your soul – kind of. I managed to separate your soul from Aaroniero, but I could not separate the hollows' taint or reiryoku – not completely. If you simply leave this place, you probably will end up losing control and eating some poor souls. Not that I really mind, but my friend did not approve this sentiment. Then again, some altruistic citizen would eventually slay you again and send you straight back to me. Hm. Option two sounds really tempting.' Kaien sweat dropped at the casual tone taken with his planned demise.

'But my friend did say he could help. He could not undo everything, however. We cannot just let you reincarnate as you are since bits and pieces of those hollow are attached to you – again the paperwork involved.'

"Alright then. What the hell are we going to do about this then?"

'Now, now, fukutaicho, no need to raise your voice at the one holding the precious remnant of your life in his metaphorical hands. My friend has decided the best course of action would be to simply _adjust_ your current state of existence.'

"Err, and by that you mean…?"

'We're just going to have to fix the whole reincarnation process for you. Basically, we need to find a way to purge the evil from Metastacia and Aaroniero that clings to your actual soul. But we can't do it all at once. One, the process might actually destroy you. Two, it would take more of my time than I would prefer. So we will reincarnate you into a special body with all of your memories intact. This 'gigai' is actually a genuine living body – but with some modifications to handle your not-so-human soul. Kind of like a homunculus, to borrow a Western term. It will also have a purging spell linked to your karma. Basically, you need to resume your work as a Shinigami. The more evil you help prevent, the faster the process will proceed. Hopefully by the time you die again, you won't return here, and I won't have to just wipe my hands clean of you. Permanently. Understand?'

The air seemed to chill despite the jovial tone of the speaker.

"Uh…I guess so?"

'Ah yes, I forgot to mention. The process purges you of all traces of evil, but it will not wipe clean the hollow reiryoku. So your new spirit body is basically of a Visored. Much better than that of an Arrancar, at least. Hmm. You don't recognize either or those terms do you?

Well, an Arrancar is a hollow that removed its mask and gained the powers of a Shinigami. Their zanpakuto, though, does not have the same releases of a true Shinigami, but rather they repress an Arrancar's hollow powers until one enters Resurreccion. Then they regain most of their original form and powers, albeit stronger.

The Visored are the opposite. They are Shinigami who have crossed into the boundaries of the hollows in the form of a mask and hollow reiryoku. They must struggle against an inner hollow that forms as a result of the process. The past few days should have allowed your soul to reshape Metastacia's reiryoku into your own inner hollow, actually. Err... My friend did mention you might have some, ahem, _trouble_ with that. I'll give you some options. You may begin your new life in the World of the Living as it is. That means, well, entering a rather tense war right now. A few days in my domain means quite a bit of time has passed. I believe two years in the other realms, in fact.'

"WHAT? And what war?"

Kaien could practically see the smirk on the invisible caretaker's face.

'Don't be so dramatic, Shiba boy. The current war is just one that has resulted in a slew of deaths among the high and low of the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. Not like you can do much as you are, anyways. You will need months of training before you can even think of using your abilities. Unless you do want to choose the second option of what I can do to rid myself of you? No? Good.

Consequently, I do have some control over my part of Hell. I can, how you say, _tinker_ with the dimensions here. In short, I can send you to the World of the Living of another time. I won't be sending you at any time before your first death. And, I can't let you interfere with certain events. However, I can allow a little twisting. The time line can be split, but certain events will play out as it is, not because it can't handle the stress but mostly because my friend would chide me for hours if I mess around too much.

So, Shiba Kaien, I shall drop you off sometime during the early years of a fellow Shinigami. Ehh, your cousin of sorts, if I understand it right. I don't much like paying attention to the events of the other worlds. To be honest, I am first shipping you off to my friend in the other room. He will finish processing your soul and get you started. Bye-bye.'

"Wait! What cous-" The world around Kaien twisted and broke apart in a whirl of light. When he came to _again_ , he seemed to be in some sort of white room with a bunch of empty picture frames hanging on the walls.

'Hello Shiba Kaien.'

"Another bodiless voice? I take it you're the friend."

'Yes. You may know me better as the Soul King.'

"…"

'Mortus really does not like to explain the finer details of things. But he does have a good heart. He cannot allow something like you to remain and continue putting strain on the balance in his domain, though.

Now, as to what we will do with you. I shall be sending you to the World of the Living. Your soul form will not resemble you exactly, but it will do. You will look a few years younger, however. It's for the best, as I wish for you to watch over a Shinigami-to-be; a Shiba, like you, but born in the World of the Living. He is a hybrid of sorts, and the son of one Shiba Isshin. I shall send you some reading materials to help you along, but I do not have much time to spare in explanations. Do not worry so much about your age. Humans do grow so fast.

Also, you will not have the same level of skill you had as a fukutaicho, nor will you have your zanpakuto. You need to develop them since your initial body may not handle the true extent of your powers well. At least not yet. Don't worry, they will come in time as you establish yourself in your new body. As for your zanpakuto, you should procure an asauchi. Otherwise, you will find everything you need available to you. I should warn you to not reveal yourself to too many people as they may or may not respond well to your _circumstances._ So stick to your notes, and you should be fine.

Oh, our time comes to a close. So, I must ask you again, just as a matter of courtesy. Will you leave behind your past and take up a new life? At least you will be able to help all many of the people you left behind and some new ones. Well?'

Kaien didn't hesitate. "Yes."

The world disappeared one last time.

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2\. Lessons

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Kaien could swear something was poking his face. Irritated, the revived Shinigami swatted at the offender. The protrusion retracted. Then he felt a sudden kick into his side.

"Urk!"

"Serves you right sleepy head. Get up already, it's time for your lessons."

"Wha…" Kaien blinked his eyes open. Then jerked back from the black and white _thing_ that was right in his face. It was some sort of panda bear plushy. Kaien's eyebrows rose.

"Okay. What in the world are you little guy?" The bear narrowed its little button eyes. _Che. It kind of looks cu-_ The bear reared its leg and kicked Kaien in the forehead.

"Ow. Why'd you do that for?" Kaien whined his hands clutching his head. _What is with this thing? Oww. Is it made with lead instead of stuffing?_

"I know what you're thinking. I am not cute, adorable, or any other synonym. I may be a gikon, but I do have my pride. Mortus-sama decided that you would need me to keep an eye on your body when you need to go and cleanse some hollows. You're basically a human now with a Shinigami's soul. You die, no second chances. Either you clean up your soul or Mortus-sama will wipe his hands of you and probably be disappointed with me. So just try not to die too early, Shinigami."

Kaien regarded the toy with a deadpan expression.

"You do not act like any gikon I've ever used," muttered Kaien, earning another smack by the panda bear.

"I would hope not. I'm not just a gikon, I am a modified soul."

"Aren't those illegal?"

"Tch, I think mod souls are great. We actually have a personality of our own. Mortus-sama thought someone like I could help you cope with the World of the Living a bit better. As a Shinigami, you didn't exactly gain any practical experience in the human world. As I am a, ahem, _recalled_ product, you probably should keep that little tidbit quiet. Now, Mortus-sama happened to liberate me some time ago on one of his rare trips to the Soul Society. I have kept him company for years, acting as his informant here in the World of the Living for the last few decades. Besides this little panda bear, I also have a human gigai of my own."

"So why are you in a panda bear?"

This time Kaien caught the little guy's fist. Ignoring the gikon's protests and curses, the Shinigami just held him in the air as he got up from the bed. Spotting the dresser, Kaien tossed the panda bear back onto the bear and changed out of the sleeping kimono and into some shirts and pants. The panda bear muttered darkly the whole time. Kaien crossed his arms and regarded the odd little toy.

"Maybe we got on the wrong start. I'm Shiba Kaien. Nice to meet you…?"

The panda crossed its legs. "I don't have one. A name that is. Mortus-sama just called me gikon."

"Well, that won't do. If we're going to be stuck together for a while then I'll just give you a name. How about…Kuro?"

"NO. Where'd you come up with that? I'm white, too."

"Okay. Kuma?"

"The lack of imagination from such a high-ranking fukutaicho. Must be a family thing."

"What? Never mind. Hmm. You certainly speak your mind. Why not Kagami?"

"Eh? Mirror? Why mirror?"

"Well, you don't pull your punches, figuratively and literally. Like a mirror, you have no compunctions against telling me what's what."

"Hmm. Okay, Kagami it is. Speaking of mirrors, don't you want to see how you've changed? I was there when you first arrived to Hell, by the way. I got to say, it's an improvement."

Kaien clucked his tongue at his new companion but thought better of chucking the balled up sleepwear at Kagami. He had some maturity. The former fukutaicho walked from the bedroom and into the hallway. Ducking his head through a couple doorways, he found a little office, a sitting room, before finally finding the bathroom.

*Blink. Blink*

The face staring at him was unfamiliar. A teenager stood a few inches short of six feet (5' 9'' or 175 centimeters). His formerly black hair was closer to indigo in color and sported several streaks of scarlet. His blue-green eyes were a nearly colorless grey. He had a tan! Even his face looked different. Some sort of curve of the cheekbones, a certain tilting of the eyes, and a stranger looked back in the mirror. _I suppose no one really will guess I'm a Shiba Kaien._ Kaien still didn't know exactly how to take this final reminder of his losses.

 _Losses._ Tears began to trail down his face. Miyako. He hardly had a minute to himself during the whole 'not dead' situation. Now that there was no one around, Kaien let reality fold in on him. _How could I forget? I lost Miyako that night. How long ago was that? My Miyako…_

A touch at his elbow sometime later jolted the grieving Shinigami. A young boy stared up at him, face tense with sympathy and concern.

"Mortus-sama told me a bit about your former life," whispered the gikon.

He looked like a younger version of his gigai minus the red streaks and having nearly black eyes.

"Don't worry. We have some time. Mourn for her. You really didn't have much time to consider everything, did you? Nor did you even spare a day in your original life to mourn her passing."

Kaien grabbed a hand towel next to the sink and wiped his face. "No, no. Miyako…she died honorably and with courage in her heart, I'm sure. She would probably scold me if I procrastinated from my duties. What do I need to do and know?"

The young boy's eyes darkened with a certain knowing that far surpassed his youthful appearance. He simply stood there and stared at Kaien for a full minute.

"…You may want to sit down first. Come with me to the sitting room."

"So, my name is Saishokou Kaien. I'm a 15-year-old human that will be attending Karakura Senior High School in two weeks as a transfer student from Kyoto. And you're my younger brother who is eleven and a home-schooled prodigy. We had a mother and father, a doctor and a police officer, but they died from sickness. I'm taking care of you, but we do have some distant relatives providing for us."

"Yep, that's it in a nutshell. You should be meeting your cousin there, too."

"Okay. What cousin? And why is he attending a school here in the World of the Living?"

"About that…" The young boy's careless smile shuttered. "You are – were – a Shiba. Family means a lot in that clan if I recall. To put it plainly… You're uncle broke a ton of rules. As the story goes, he arrived to the World of the Living on a high risk mission without any backup some fifteen years ago. The hollow White was new one, an enhanced one like Metastacia. The creature had unnaturally high reiatsu, strength, and speed. It overwhelmed the 10th division taicho. He probably would have died if not for the brave actions of a human."

"A human?"

"Yes. One of the 'extinct' Quincies. Despite the danger, despite the bloodied history between their races, she came to the aid of an injured Shinigami. She let the creature come in close and bite her so that she may shoot it at point-blank range. The hollow fell but left its mark. Quincies and Hollow don't mix, did you know that? They are incompatible. Just as a Quincy arrow will destroy a hollow utterly, a hollow's reiatsu will completely destroy a Quincy. This hollow was made to infect its target. For a Quincy, it should have been absolutely fatal. But your uncle refused this. To save her life, Isshin became the opposite of a hollow, a human. A certain shopkeeper facilitated this and provided him the means to connect her life to his until Masaki's death or the banishing of the hollow. From that night on, Isshin would remain bound in his gigai, his Shinigami powers lost in return for the life of his savior."

"I expect nothing less from a Shiba, from Uncle Isshin least of all."

"Masaki was a brave and courageous lady, wouldn't you agree? I bet you would have liked her."

"Would have?"

"She passed six years ago. She and Isshin did have three children, one boy and two twin girls. You'll be meeting the eldest child, the boy."

"And his name?"

"Nope."

"What?"

"Not telling you. Mortus-sama thought that you of all people will recognize family. You'll be finding it out in two weeks. Speaking of which-" The young boy paused and walked over to a cabinet in the corner. The opened door revealed several intimidating and bulky textbooks. "-You will need to study these books. You need to know enough to pass as a high school student. That means history, writing, mathematics, English, Japanese, et cetera et cetera. Hopefully you won't do absolutely horrid."

"Hey!"

"… How long ago was it that you attended school? How much do you actually know of these subjects? I thought so. Study or look like an idiot for all I care. I know all this stuff, but I will not do your homework, just so you know. But…" emphasized the gikon, "if you _do_ want to succeed in your pseudo human life, then you have no better instructor than the one from hell."

"Okay, okay," chuckled Kaien, a wide smile shining on his face. It faded a second later, replaced by a serious expression. "What did you mean about 'enhanced' hollows?"

"Hmm. Mortus-sama did okay this subject. One of your fellow Shinigami, well, was not the nicest of guys. One hundred years ago several taichos and fukutaichos disappeared, supposedly deceased, correct? They did not die. Some less polite folk would call their current situation a most unpleasant word or words, in fact.

Remember the Visored that Mortus-sama discussed? All but three met that fate and not of their own choice. A fellow Shinigami, a fukutaicho at the time, made them into his lab rats. He had created all sorts of interesting hollows, actually – before and after that time. He had begun research on Hollowfication. His first set of subjects were Rukongai citizens. They died. His next batch, the taichos and fukutaichos, did not die due to the interference of the 12th Division Urahara Kisuke-taicho and Kido Corps Tsukabishi Tessai-taicho. They could not reverse the process, but they could help the eight officers overcome their inner hollows. So they lived. But, Central 46 did not agree to their new status. They misplaced all the blame on those two and then ordered the exile of Urahara-san and Tsukabishi-san and the execution of the eight newly Visored. Luckily, Shihoin-taicho saved those two and the rest were hidden away.

The Visored, the two exiled, and the Shihoin Princess managed to escape with their powers intact. However, Urahara-san and Tsukabishi-san can never return to Soul Society unless someone lifts the spell blocking them from entering.

As for the traitor … He had woven his webs of deceit for the past century since then. One of which ended your past life. Metastacia? He was a prime example of the traitor's continued experiments in erasing the barriers between Shinigami and hollows. Furthermore, I'm 90% confident that he also orchestrated the fall of your clan shortly after your subsequent death."

"What happened to the Shiba Clan?" asked, Kaien, his voice deceptively cool.

"They fell from favor. The once Five Great Noble Houses became four. I do not have all the details, but some indiscretions or some equally ridiculous charges came to light. Whatever it was, the clan was banished from the Seireitei and scattered throughout the Rukongai. Your uncle actually would have followed them if he did not have a squad of his own to protect."

Kaien became paler and tenser as the gikon continued his lecture. At the pause, the Shinigami asked in a hoarse voice, "Who? Who betrayed us?"

Kagami's face became stony. He drew a deep breath. "The traitor… is one Aizen Sosuke. Taicho of the fifth division if I recall."

"No way. Aizen-taicho had always been a kind and gentle man. Everyone in the Seireitei loves him."

"Exactly. Well, not everyone. His former taicho Hirako Shinji never did trust him completely. And that proved his downfall. The nature of Aizen-taicho's zanpakuto is not water-based but one of illusions. Anyone that sees the Shikai release is instantly caught in his Complete Hypnosis technique. All five senses become warped to his designs. Every time after, the victims will fall back under his spell when he releases his zanpakuto. As far as I am aware of, the only way to detect the spell, even marginally, is to possess inherently strong instincts, have strong enough bonds to detect minute differences in his fakes, or to touch the blade of Kyoka Suigetsu before Shikai release. Elsewise, there's no escape. Hirako-taicho made the mistake to not know his fukutaicho well, so he did not realize the differences in his fake-Aizen."

 _What a terrifying power_ was the first thought that came to mind. Kaien's mind felt scrambled from the series of revelations. His initial impulse said to deny it all, but the grim expression of Kagami held not a trace of guile or lie. The gikon truly believed in what he was saying. The implications left the former fukutaicho disturbed to put it mildly.

"How could we not know?" he whispered.

"The guy's crazy strong and shrewd. The most dangerous and evil men of this world are the charismatic ones that we never doubt, the ones who give with one hand and hold a poisoned dagger sheathed in the sleeve of the other hand. As a technically 'new' soul, the previous enchantment should no longer apply. So just avoid staring at his sword when you confront him since you have an abnormally high chance of confronting him within the year."

"…"

"Okay, onto lighter topics. Why don't we review the dos and don'ts of your new existence? I hope I don't have to reiterate how bad an idea it is to let the wrong people know your previous history. That new form of yours should keep people from guessing. Keep your head down, and you might make it through the first couple of months without a problem. In addition…try to act like the ignorant human you are imposing as. Shinigami will inevitably meet you in the future, but let us keep them in the dark about how much you know, shall we? We will be working on your training, don't you worry. You're lucky that you retain the soul of a Shinigami. You won't have any of your former finesse or skills, yet, but by the end you will be even better than before."

The smile the boy bared reminded Kaien of a crocodile's grin – mean and full of teeth.

"I do have some added strength, speed, and endurance as a mod soul. I even can cause temporary amnesia with the right motivation. I have a training area below the house so focus on Kido, Hakuda, and Hoho. No zanpakuto, so no Zanjutsu for a while."

Kagami narrowed his eyes dangerously when Kaien tried to protest the last.

"My home, my responsibilities, my rules. One last note. Kaien, try to avoid getting too angry. A tantrum every now and then is okay, but full-blown rages will weaken the barriers keeping that hollow of yours asleep. Once you gain your zanpakuto, though, the countdown begins."

"Countdown?"

"Having an actual zanpakuto probably will put even more stress on those restriction spells since it will naturally strip away more of the seals on your innate potential. Don't give me that pout, Kaien, we will find someone to help you when the time comes. Plus, I don't use swords, so you'll need another teacher anyways. Any questions? Yes? Too bad, I'm tired, so go study. I have some more books in the study for future reference. There should be some detailed history texts on the Soul Society, _accurate_ accounts of important trials and events, and some useful ones about future events. Dinner's already set. I'll continue our lessons tomorrow."

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3\. Welcome to Karakura High

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 _Kagami can be brutal._ Kaien sported some fairly nasty aches and pains. The little boy form looked deceptively weak. It wasn't. Apparently his new guardian took offense at Kaien's sense of humor. The four foot nothing brat slammed him into the ground of the forested training area twice in their first session. Kaien was lucky the brat knew enough kido to heal him else his face would be one big bruise.

Afterwards, the mod soul made the groaning Kaien get up and tour the town. He anticipated each groan of protest with a swift kick to the side even before Kaien intoned the first moan.

His 'little brother' was adamant on Kaien's overall studies. He would usually wake the Shinigami with a plushy kick and a pop quiz on any number of topics. By the end of two weeks, Kagami deemed Kaien fit to at least not shame himself. The gikon allowed Kaien to carry his gikongan in a necklace dispenser, claiming that the usual dispensers were "tacky and suspicious".

"Where the heck is the class- oh, there it is."

Kaien gave one last tug on his tie as he entered the room. He really did not like the suffocating thing, but Kagami nearly strangled him with it when he complained.

 _Note to self: learn how to tie your own tie._ Kaien let his usual smirk grace his face. The Shinigami scanned the classroom. In one corner, he saw a group of three girls, one black-haired and fit, one brown-haired that gave a creepy vibe, and the other a rather sweet-looking (and somewhat busty) girl with bright ginger hair. He walked over to an empty desk.

"I've never seen you before," muttered his neighbor.

Turning his head to his left, Kaien nearly gasped out aloud. The kid was about his height, had bright orange hair, and reddish brown eyes. Otherwise, he could have passed for a double of his old self. _"Mortus-sama thought that you of all people will recognize family."_ Even now, their resemblance was uncanny – the adjustments to his facial shape actually made them _more_ similar if possible. Kaien let a wide cheerful grin spread across his face.

"Nice to meet you. My name's Sh-Saishokou Kaien. I'm actually new to Karakura Town. You can call me Kaien." The orange haired youth grunted in response, a scowl still present on his face.

"…I'm Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Man, are always so scowly in the morning, Strawberry?"

"Shut up! My name means 'one who protects', not a damned fruit."

Kaien held up his hands in surrender, his smile only widening.

"I give, I give. You certainly have a temper."

"Bastard," Ichigo muttered under his breath. Kaien only laughed. He was a Shiba originally, not like he hadn't heard the same or worse. Ichigo may be a bit surly and angry for Shiba, but the small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth made Kaien believe he had at least a bit of the Shiba personality in there. Deep, deep inside.

A month passed. Kaien managed to finally wear down his cousin enough to let him into his small circle of friends. Ichigo didn't have many. His best friend was a big mixed Mexican-Japanese kid named Sado Yasutora, or Chad as Ichigo insisted. His other friends were one Arisawa Tatsuki, Kojima Mizuiro, and Asano Keigo. He also had a more casual friendship with Inoue Orihime and by a stretch, Honsho Chizuru. Chad was a quiet one, gentle and soft-spoken despite his size. He kind of reminded Kaien of one his mentors. He thought Inoue-chan was a really sweet girl, a bit of a klutz and somewhat airy, but a kind-hearted friend. Arisawa-san was tough and loud. She made no bones about warning Kaien off of her large-breasted friend. The girl sure could give some seated officers a run for brute strength.

Today would be definitely a turning point. Kaien was just complaining about his brother's cooking (his sensei could only make the simplest dishes with effort – i.e. almost never) during lunch when Ichigo invited him over to his house. Kaien froze mid-rant. Then he gave his cousin a grin and dramatically applauded his friend for taking an initiative in his social life. To which, Ichigo knocked him off his feet with a muttered "as bad as Goat-Face."

They were just walking to the Kurosaki Clinic when Ichigo abruptly stopped. A bunch of punks were skateboarding and one knocked over a vase of flowers. To the side cried the plus soul of a young girl. Ichigo calmly walked over and smacked the offending skater into the pavement. Kaien hummed in approval. Disrespecting an offering to the dead was definitely uncool. He let his cousin handle the situation. Ichigo soon had the thugs running. Kaien strolled over to his cousin and the plus soul.

"Hey there. Don't you worry Miss. I'm sure you will find a better place really soon," murmured Kaien.

During one of their few walks together from school, Kaien noted that Ichigo could see spirits. The kid was good at hiding it, but Kaien could be observant and could see the occasional discrete gestures Ichigo offered from the corner of his eye. Not exactly a surprise given the guy's overwhelming reiatsu that practically suffocated the classroom. But Kaien had not yet revealed his own spiritual awareness. Until now, that is.

"You can see her?"

"Yep."

"… I guess I'm not the only weird one at least."

"Ha, ha, we can freaks together. Come on, didn't you say your old man had dinner at seven?"

Kaien thought he handled the meeting well. He almost messed up when he saw his Uncle Isshin. Although, to be fair, he wasn't expecting his uncle to greet his own son with a kick to the face. He schooled his shock in time, at least he thought he did. Then he laughed. That led to Ichigo rounding on him after he finished yelling at his father.

"What are you laughing at, you grey-eyed-"

"Ichigo! There are ladies present."

"Yeah, Ichigo," snarked a young raven haired girl. She looked over to Kaien still chuckling in the hallway. "Hi, you must be Saishokou Kaien, Ichigo's friend. I'm Karin and this is my sister Yuzu. She was one who cooked dinner."

Kaien silenced his laughter and greeted his other cousins with his usual jovial tone. "Yeah, your big brother sure is special. I can't believe a lug like him can have such lovely sisters." Kaien ducked his head as a fist flew through the space it just vacated.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaien only gave an answering laugh. Uncle Isshin did a double take when he saw the blue-haired double of his son. Then:

"Oh Masaki! Our son has a friend!"

"Hey, nii-san, I think you picked up another friend."

Hovering just behind Ichigo was another plus soul.

"When did he get here?! Damn Kaien, why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you knew already."

"…" Kaien finally noticed the sudden hush. Both of Ichigo's sisters were staring at him. Isshin…well…

"Masaki, Ichigo made a friend as special as he is! He must have great fortune to find friends like this. And he has a sense of humor, too."

That stirred another round of yelling. Kaien just walked over to the girls and grabbed a bowl of curry and watched. Another smile tugged on his face. The Kurosaki family really did remind him of his own clan's quirks and antics.

* * *

4\. Substitute Soul Reaper

* * *

Kaien nearly freaked later that night when he felt the presence of his favorite tiny subordinate. Kagami whacked him over the head when he tried to lunge out the window. The gikon then proceeded to dress him down for trying to fight a hollow without even a proper weapon or an acceptable level of training. He even had the audacity to tie Kaien up when he felt Rukia's reiatsu almost disappear.

"Go to sleep. It's fine. Rukia just gave your cousin there a fighting chance," ordered the mod soul to the still tied up fukutaicho.

"A fighting chance?"

"Your family will do anything to protect their family, would you not agree? Rukia gave him the power to protect them from Fishbone D. She lent him her powers."

"WHAT?! But that means-"

"Don't worry. It'll work out. And remember that you're not 100% Shinigami anymore. Humanity gives you a lot of room for growth, but potential means nothing to experience – experience from this lifetime," added Kagami.

"Damn…I hate being so helpless to protect my friends. Wait. Are the Kurosakis…?"

"Fine. You'll see. You did promise to stop by Ichigo's since it's along your way to school." The gikon at least had the courtesy to untie Kaien. Well, mostly. He suspiciously left his hands tied up.

The next morning proved the gikon right. Kaien walked by the Kurosaki home to be greeted by the sight of a giant hole busted through one of the walls. Putting on an appropriately wide-eyed expression, Kaien mildly asked his confused friend what happened.

"Kaien…I half-expect you to think I'm crazy."

"Oh?"

"But you might be the only guy who would believe me. Some chick came through my window-"

"Was she pretty?" leered Kaien, humor hiding his concern.

"Knock it off, you pervert! Anyways, she said she was a Shinigami, a death god. She talked about how the spirit world worked with some crappy drawings," to which Kaien more than could attest, "about plus souls – the spirits we usually see – and then about these monsters called hollows."

Kaien raised his eyebrows in a hopefully clueless expression. "Hollow? What's that?"

"They're some sort of evil version of plus souls. Apparently they attack other spirits and humans. She said that as a Shinigami, it is her duty is to guide plus souls to something called Soul Society, or heaven, and to kill hollows. Then, this huge hollow attacked my family. Rukia nearly died, but she gave me her powers so that I could protect my family."

A moment of silence.

"You're all alright?"

"Yeah. I had this huge ass sword almost as tall as I am, and I sliced right through it. But when I woke up this morning, no one seemed to remember what happened last night. They just kept saying a truck crashed through the house. And all our injuries were gone. You think I'm crazy…I mean, I hardly can believe myself."

"Hm. I think that this world is a lot bigger than what we think it is. If good souls exist, why not evil ones? And to protect those good souls, some force must be there to save them. My best friend is an awesome kick-ass superhero!" gushed Kaien good-naturedly. Ichigo gave him a disgusted look and tapped him hard on the back of his head.

"Idiot. I swear that you are channeling my dad sometimes."

Kaien just tossed an arm around the slightly shorter boy and threw back his head with a laugh.

Ichigo stared blankly at their new classmate. Kaien couldn't blame him. He was doing the exact same thing.

"That's her, the Shinigami," he muttered, anger beginning to lace Ichigo's voice. "What is she doing here?"

Kaien could barely detect any reiatsu from Rukia. A sneaking suspicion began to take hold. He nearly laughed outright when he saw the warning Rukia penned on her palm.

At the end of school, Ichigo dragged both Kaien and Rukia off to a deserted street of abandoned warehouses.

"Okay," huffed Ichigo "Spill. What are you doing here?"

Kaien had to say: Rukia could put on a pretty good offended air.

"How dare you. I'm here to learn and participate in the rewarding educational system. And why did you drag…" When she looked at Kaien, she blanched. Then she swiveled her head back and forth between Ichigo and himself before composing herself. "I don't think you have formally introduced yourself, nor I you. I am Kuchiki Rukia."

"Saishokou Kaien. I know everything. I can see ghosts, too, Kuchiki-san."

"…" At his name, Rukia's composure slipped again, a fleeting look of anguish. Then the rest of the statement computed. Rukia skipped over to Ichigo's side with a smile and punched him in the shoulder.

"I told you not to tell anyone!"

"Hey! I told him _before_ you showed up out of the blue."

"Forgive my hot-headed friend. So Kuchiki-san, why _are_ you still around? I understood that Shinigami didn't linger."

"I can't. Only Shinigami can travel to Soul Society. I completely lost my powers, so I cannot return at the moment."

"!?" Ichigo's face paled in apprehension and guilt. "Okay, where did your powers go?"

"Ichigo, I think-"

"You have them. Your soul has become that of a Shinigami's. I only have traces of my powers left, hardly enough to use. I am also forced to use this artificial body, a gigai, so that I may restore my powers."

"What does that have to with me?"

"Since I can no longer perform my duties, I need you to do them. I can trust that Saishokou-kun will not say anything."

"Sure."

"I REFUSE," stated Ichigo, his hands making an X sign.

"What?!" Rukia looked flat out flabbergasted. Kaien was sure he had a similar expression on his face.

"No way am I going to fight monsters ever again. Yesterday, I fought for my family. For total strangers? No. I'm not that nice of a guy," said Ichigo, walking away from Rukia and Kaien.

Kaien sighed. "Sorry Kuchiki-san. I'll try to go talk some sense into him. Eh, why are you staring at me?"

"Hm? Oh. It's nothing, it's just that your name…and your face…I had very dear friend also named Kaien." Kaien's smile faded. _Rukia, I'm so sorry. I made you…I'll make it up to you._

"Haha, I bet this other Kaien wasn't as handsome as me. As for my face, I think I do look freakishly like Ichigo. I think we might be distant relatives, but my parents died a few years ago and didn't talk much about our family. Maybe the three of us are related. Or, it's the doppelganger effect. Oh well, either way. See you around Kuchiki-san."

"It's Rukia. You can call me Rukia. As for Kurosaki-kun…" Rukia slipped on a skull emblazoned glove and darted in front of Ichigo. She pushed her gloved hand through his head and forced his soul to separate from his body.

"What?! What did you…my body?!" Ichigo proceeded to freak out.

Kaien shook off his gloom and smiled. Rukia yelled at Ichigo to follow her. Staring down at the unoccupied body, Kaien sighed but smiled, as he hefted his friend's dead weight. Thinking better of just lugging him around (he'd probably just get arrested), Kaien reached for the dispenser.

"?! Who the hell did you put me into? Did you murder someone or something?"

"No doofus. Ichigo became a Shinigami. Rukia just led his soul somewhere else. I thought it would best if we didn't leave his unconscious body here. So, I'll run after them, and you will find a nearby place to stash his body. After you're done, come find us. Here, I even have your panda bear in my backpack."

"*Snicker* Why are you carrying my stuff animal?" Kaien's face flushed.

"Err, well, uhh... It pays to be prepared!"

"Sure, sure. Go on. You'll lose them. Actually, why don't you work on your soul perception and track Rukia's spirit ribbon. You should be able to do that much. See ya!"

Before, Kaien could retaliate, Ichigo's body ran off toward the Kurosaki Clinic. _Damn toy._ Kaien looked around and grabbed the distinctive red ribbon of his favorite little Shinigami with a pang.

He arrived in the park just in time to see his cousin pierce a hollow through his mask. Hearing his speech, Kaien pushed aside some of his worries. Ichigo really was a nicer guy than he claimed. Kaien knew his friend and cousin would never fail his friends or stand aside when someone was in trouble. That just wasn't in him.

Over the next couple of months, Kaien would be on standby, helping to cover for Ichigo, dragging his unconscious body into the bushes, keeping an eye on Kon when the mod soul tried to get into trouble, and instructing Rukia on the World of the Living. Kaien nearly had a heart attack when Grand Fisher appeared at the cemetery and nearly killed his three cousins. And that damned hollow escaped through a Garganta. Damn his new body's slow progress.

Ichigo was a little out of it for a while, but Rukia knew just what to do. Sometimes Kaien really wished he could help, but then Kagami would knock him on the head and tell him to bide his time. After which, the mod soul would drag Kaien's soul into the training area and make him work on his Hakuda – blindfolded. The gikon had no qualms launching a barrage of Kido spells at the impaired Shinigami.

* * *

Walking in the classroom, Kaien raised his eyebrow at Rukia who had her Denreishinki out. Her face was drawn tight with worry.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, Kaien-kun. It's nothing. I'm just checking on the hollow activity."

"I noticed that Ichigo had made quite a few wild goose chases in the past few days."

"Yeah…"

"Oh look, there's our favorite strawberry!"

Kaien tried to wrap an arm around his surly friend, at which Ichigo ducked around him. Kaien just fell sideways, but Ichigo grabbed his uniform to right him. Then he cuffed Kaien on the back of his head.

"Ow. Rukia-chan, Ichigo's being mean for no good reason."

"Call it instinct; you were mocking my name again, I can tell."

"Whaa?! I never!" The indignantly of Kaien's tone was ruined by the smile turning the corners of his mouth. "So, no hollows?"

Ichigo scowled.

"Ah well. Nothing we can do about that. Oh, look. Maybe Asano-san's theatrics will cheer you two up."

"ICHIGO! KAIEN! Come and share the pain of being morons! Exams are over and the scores are in!"

"I wouldn't say that to quickly Asano-san," interrupted Kojima Mizuiro. "Look here."

On the list of the top fifty scores of midterms, Ichigo scored 18th, Kaien took a place at 15th ( _told you, Kagami, I'm a lot smarter than I seem_ ).

"Wow, Ichi-chan, you did really well. Not as well as I did but-" Kaien ducked under a fist. _Oops. I guess Ichigo didn't appreciate the new nickname._

"How can you be happy about this, Kaien?" lamented the class's goof off. Keigo then proceeded to blubber and throw hysterics over how impossible it would be that someone like Ichigo and Kaien could be this good at school. He then tried foisting some nerdy apparel on Ichigo. Kaien snickered the whole time that Keigo denounced the validity of the two class troublemakers in the top percentile of the class. Although Ichigo's explanation of why he studied so hard brought a frown to Kaien's face. They thought Ichigo was some kind of punk? Granted, his cousin _could_ be brutal, but still… Ah, that would explain why the teachers also looked at him funny. Must be the resemblance.

"Poor misunderstood Ichigo! At least you have us who will always trust- Ow!"

 _Why could no one let him finish speaking today?_

Later that day, they finally discovered why the hollows kept disappearing. Kaien tagged along this run, and they found some guy dressed like a priest who took down a hollow with a single arrow. Then he calmly went on to say he hated Shinigami, including them.

The next day in class, Asano-san went into hysterics about the scores of the final exams for the first term. Apparently placing 11th (Chad), 19th (Kaien), and 23rd (Ichigo) was a clear betrayal of their friendship with Keigo. Glancing at the board, Kaien stopped for a moment. At the very top of the list was one Ishida Uryuu.

 _Great, the stuck-up Quincy is our classmate…no wonder he knew who we were._ Look like Ichigo finally found this out by the way Inoue was pointing to the board for him. Ichigo told Kaien later that day of his planned confrontation with their classmate. Before Kaien could advise him ( _is it really a good idea to follow a guy who apparently hates your existence? Or alone?_ ) when he felt his phone begin to vibrate.

 _*Ring!*_

Kaien fished his phone out of his pocket with a speculative look. No one besides Ichigo and Rukia called him. The text on the phone read, "Come home. I have something for you. I think you might need it sooner than later."

"Sorry, Ichigo, got to go home. Do not do anything rash, okay? Bye Strawberry."

Kaien barely opened the door when a long silvery object flew straight at his face. He reflexively grabbed at the brown blurred part. In his hand was a perfectly balanced katana that tickled his spiritual perception.

"Is this…?"

"Yep. Finally managed to snatch an asauchi blade from a certain fellow. Oh, if you see a really weird and flamboyant guy, err, keep him away from me, will you? Mortus-sama came and prepared the blade himself, using his own two hands (metaphorically speaking), so all you need to do is send a little of your reiryoku through the blade. This will quicken the imprinting process."

"So I'll finally have Nejibana back?"

"… No."

"What do you mean, 'No'?" whined Kaien.

"You are not the same soul that created Nejibana. You're the same at the core, but also have other things mixed into that. The spirit of the sword will most likely carry characteristics and the memories of your original zanpakuto, but you will have to learn its name, its new name."

"…"

"Think of it this way. You won't necessarily have to wait years and years to learn its name since you already have a connection to it. You just need to realize this first. I'll help- What the hell?!"

Kaien hand unconsciously clamped on the handle of his asauchi, as he felt the presence of dozens of hollows invading Karakura Town. _Impossible. Why are so many hollows entering all at once? Ichigo, Rukia!_

Kagami's face paled. Then it took on a determined expression. "Go. It's best to learn on the go. I don't think your two friends will be able to handle this alone."

Kaien nodded his head once. Kagami removed his pill, and Kaien caught the falling body, settling the gigai to the floor _._

For the first time since he had arrived, his spiritual body bore the trademark shihakusho of a Shinigami rather than the reproduction of his gigai's clothes. He ran some of his reiryoku through the asauchi. The standard katana flashed. It changed only somewhat, the blade lengthening, the cross guard turning sapphire with a silver Celtic knot design, and the hilt curving and turning a gleaming black. Not Shikai, though. Another barrier blocked that next level of power, but the sword would suffice.

"Just holding and connecting to the blade has unlocked your deeper reservoirs of Shinigami power," commented Kagami in Kaien's human body. "Nice outfit. Good luck and try not to die."

With that shining piece of advice, Kaien jumped out the window and took to the sky.

A hollow swept into Ichigo's blind spot. No time for questions. Kaien hadn't practiced with a blade for months, but the old movements came automatically. He shunpoed behind Ichigo and slashed the monster's mask.

 _You may not be Nejibana, but you are my sword._

"Ichigo, what kind of trouble have you got yourself into, now?"

"Pft. I was wondering when you would show, Shinigami," remarked a certain four-eyed Quincy.

"Kaien? What the hell are you doing with a zanpakuto?"

"Horde of hollows, Ichigo? Not the time for this Ichigo. Let's just try to survive. Damn," another five hollows ripped out of the sky above them, "why are there so many?"

"Blame Ishida there."

"Ishida Uryuu? I guess I'm not surprised to see him here. Wait. He's the one to draw all those hollows here?!"

"Yeah. The dumbass broke something and drew all those hollows here for a challenge. Apparently, he thinks Shinigami are useless and… Wait a minute... Oi Ishida! How did you know Kaien was a Shinigami?"

"Easy. Same way I knew you were one. He has a red spirit ribbon. I noticed it ever since he began at our school."

"Kaien, you'd better have a good explanation after all this," growled Ichigo. _Cute._

"Maybe it will be okay to tell you. But later. First," muttered Kaien as he used the momentary lull to round on Ishida, "why don't you explain why you would endanger hundreds of people?"

"Pft. Typical Shinigami. Can't see a thing. I'm doing this to demonstrate exactly how useless Shinigami are. I, a Quincy, can protect this town fine on my own. I'll destroy more hollows than the two of you combined. You two better hurry. Hollows do have a preference for humans of high reiatsu."

"Ichigo, we'd better split up. There are a LOT of hollows. We can't afford to pay any mind to the idiot right now." Ishida sputtered in indignation.

Ichigo didn't lighten his scowl but nodded his acquiescence. Kaien ran off to the north, sensing several hollows ganging up some plus souls.

 _What in the name of the Soul King is that? I really hope it's not what I think it is._

Kaien just arrived to hear Ishida Uryuu explain his history with the Shinigami, from the genocide of his people to the personal reasons that led to hatred of Shinigami. Kaien scowled at the thought of how some of his fellow Shinigami would let their prejudice prevent them from helping out a brave man like Ishida's grandfather and sensei. But he did agree with Ichigo' point – not the kick - but his point.

Kaien threw himself into the fray, cutting down hollow after hollow before joining Ichigo and Ishida in their back-to-back fighting. The elder Ishida's wish was for cooperation between Quincy and Shinigami. That would not be until someone made the effort to take the first step. The three held the horde at bay until the sky suddenly cracked open. Then a monstrous white masked face peered out of it and slowly pulled itself through the Garganta. Which brought the defending trio to their current dilemma.

"T-that's a hollow?"

"How could my bait lure something that big? Impossible."

"We can't fight that and all these hollows at the same time!"

* _BOOM_!*

The surrounding hollows went down in a flurry of explosions. To Kaien's utter surprise, a little girl with a HUGE blaster shot them all. And behind her was a red-headed boy with a club and…Urahara-taicho and Tsukabishi-taicho? _Huh, I guess my place in Karakura Town had more than one reason. Why do I think there's a lot more secrets here than these two?_

"Geta-boushi? What are you doing here?"

"We've come to the rescue. Didn't you hear before? We'll take on the small fry, Kurosaki-san. You guys better focus on the big one. Look."

"No. That's…a MENOS GRANDE!" gasped Rukia.

Kaien hated when he was right. Without Shikai, Kaien wouldn't even be able to put a scratch on that thing tearing through into reality. And his Kido was only half-decent at best right now.

"What the hell is that?"

"Menos Grande are powerful hollows formed from hundreds of smaller hollows that have combined and mixed to form _that_ thing. Ordinary Shinigami cannot face one alone… To conceive of what could bring one here…"

"Get a grip Rukia," shouted Kaien. "We can't just stand by and let that thing rampage. We'll just have to do the best that we can. Or else everyone that we care about will die."

"How do we fight something that big, Shinigami?!"

"Hehehe, this really can make a guy do nothing but laugh. I really do doubt how something that big can be a hollow…"

The Menos Grande suddenly lashed its tongue out, grabbing several smaller hollows and devouring them whole.

"It's eating its fellow hollows..."

"Hehehe… What a monster…"

"Oi, snap out of it guys. We don't have time for hysterics."

"Kurosaki?"

Ichigo, the idiot, suddenly ran with his Khyber knife swung overhead shouting, "We'll cut and cut and cut it!"

Kaien sweat dropped. Rukia tried to stop him until Urahara-san told her to stay put. Smacking a hand to his face, the older Shinigami ran after his idiotic cousin.

"Oof!" The Menos Grande just kicked Ichigo straight back at him.

"I did try to warn you, Kurosaki," said Ishida who nocked another arrow. "You two alright?"

"Fine."

"Uh huh. We can both keep going."

"What were you thinking, Kurosaki?"

Kaien felt like banging his head against a wall. How can his cousin say such smart things sometimes and then come up with plans like cutting a Menos Grande down to size – literally? Ishida agreed with his sentiment if his groan was any indication.

The Quincy placed a hand on the Ichigo's blade when his own bow suddenly grew in power. Kaien took a minute to consider the implications when Ishida suddenly started yelling at both of them.

"For ideas, this is either brilliant…or completely idiotic. Looks ridiculous either way," muttered Kaien. Ishida had Ichigo's Khyber knife strapped to his head and Kaien's own katana tied to his back. "Why are we like this, again?"

"I think Ishida either lost it or he's an idiot," grumbled Ichigo.

"Quit complaining the two of you! Contact with your zanpakuto, and by extension your ridiculous reiatsu, allows me to create these enormous arrows. So control your powers and max it out!"

"…"

"Ishida, I'm not able to 'max out' my power per se."

"And I don't really have any control over my spiritual powers."

"WHAT? Then how have you been fighting all this time?"

"I guess I max out my power all the time. It's not like I can just turn it on and off on demand."

 _Great. No wonder Ichigo operated like a big glowing lantern that screamed 'eat me' to any wandering hollow._ However…Kaien knew even his old self wouldn't be able to handle pumping out that much reiryoku without some consequences. So what Ichigo said couldn't be right. Rukia's shouting snapped Kaien from his musings.

"Cero! He's going to use cero! Run you guys!"

"Ichigo, we're going to have pull a miracle here. A cero that size will destroy everything in its path…Hey! You crazy strawberry!" shouted Kaien frantically.

Ichigo had pulled his zanpakuto from Ishida's head and ran right at the Menos Grande. Like a heroic idiot. Then:

 _He blocked the cero with his sword! That level of reiatsu…Could it be that the opposite is true? Could all that reiatsu I constantly sense be only the tip of the iceberg...?_ A burst of energy spilled from Ichigo's sword as it slashed down, tearing at the Menos Grande.

Finally it's over… Or not. Ichigo collapsed and his zanpakuto began to distort.

"Kurosaki!"

"Ichigo!"

The Quincy and the Shinigami rushed the side of their fallen friend.

"The power, Ichigo is losing control of his zanpakuto and himself! If this continues… Ishida?"

"I have a plan." The Quincy drew on the escaping power and shot arrow after arrow into the sky. Kaien understood. He put a hand on Ichigo's sword and raised a hand to the sky. Kagami would be so proud that Kaien finally pulled off reiatsu manipulation.

"Hado Number 31: Shakkaho!"

Kaien fired off kido spell after kido spell alongside the Quincy, stabilizing the spiritual energy. Finished, Kaien felt his legs fold from exhaustion. His vision blurred and then blackened.

* * *

6\. Bye-Bye Rukia

* * *

"-ien. Kaien? You awake nii-san? Or alive?"

Kaien started and sat up. _Ugh, not a good idea._

"Not a good idea," echoed Kagami. "Ah, nii-san, you sure got yourself into big trouble. Rukia-san and Ichigo-san dragged your pathetic self over here. I think they have quite a few questions for you. I believe Tsukabishi-san was kind enough to heal you, so quit whining about your injuries. Those are just phantom pains, memories of what you just did. Or reiatsu exhaustion. Either way, you should be able to go to school tomorrow. I hope you have something cooked up to explain yourself to your friends. I may not have been in my human gigai when I answered the door, too… So good luck. I have to go check on dinner!"

The little boy dashed out of the room before Kaien could attempt to strangle the little idiot. Kaien raised a hand to his forehead. What to say to Rukia and Ichigo?

Rukia seemed really distracted this morning. She didn't even ask him about his secrets – unlike Ichigo.

"When were you going to tell me, us? How do you have those powers? Were you ever going to explain?" berated Ichigo on their way to school. Kaien just did his best to – pathetically – deflect the questions with a weak, "We'll talk later, okay? There's a lot more to talk about than what a walk to school will cover." Ichigo threw him a speculative look but told Kaien that he didn't need to explain everything, just why. Man, his cousin could make a guy feel guilty.

Kaien felt uneasy since dusk. He kept alternating between looking at the clock to pacing around the sitting room.

"Kaien, knock it off or go take a walk. What's wrong, anyway?"

"Hmm." The Shinigami wore a rare pensive expression. "I don't really know, Kagami. Maybe it's all of the unspoken words between Ichigo and I. I still haven't explained myself to him or Rukia. I owe both of them answers. But, Rukia…I can see it sometimes when she says my name. My death haunts her."

"Then go."

"Huh?"

"You were a teenager once, and you are a teenager now. Go and sneak into Ichigo's room via the window. I'll even watch your body. The moon getting higher in the sky, so hurry up before they fall asleep. Go and scat, Shinigami."

Kaien picked up the panda bear and squeezed it into a bear hug.

"I may not breathe, but that still hurts. Let go you great big lummox!"

Kaien dashed across the streets when he felt it. Rukia's reiatsu and two others. Two very strong and oddly familiar reiatsu signatures. _Where? Where have I felt these before? Not here but in…the Soul Society. Rukia!_

Kaien shunpoed as fast as he could. The sight that greeted him would etch itself into his memories for a very long time. Ishida was downed, and Ichigo had fallen to his knees. In front of him stood Abarai Renji, Rukia's best friend. To the side stood none other than Kuchiki Byakuya, her brother and taicho of squad six. Just as Kaien was about to intercept Abarai's blade, Ichigo surprised both of them when he managed to slash Abarai's face.

"Sorry for interrupting your speech, but I couldn't help my hand from slipping."

Kaien was going to kill his cousin. Seriously, what guy joked like that in the face of death? Although, Kaien could practically hear his little brother's snide remark, _/ "Shiba's do, moron." /_

Kaien missed the exchange between the two combatants and the taicho but stiffened when he saw Abarai release his zanpakuto.

"Roar, Zabimaru!"

Ichigo wasn't ready for this. Before Abarai's zanpakuto came down, Kaien darted between them, his katana raised. The force shoved Kaien back into Ichigo.

"What is this? Another no-good-for-nothing lawbreaker?" sneered Abarai Renji.

"No," huffed Kaien, his arms screaming from trying to hold back Zabimaru. "Just a concerned friend."

Zabimaru suddenly disengaged. Before Kaien could react, the sword snaked back down with even greater strength, shattering his katana blade and ripping a terrible gash across his chest. The blade redrew and caught Ichigo during its retraction. Kaien fell.

"Ichigo, Rukia, run!" cried Kaien hoarsely. The last thing he saw was the stunned form of his cousin, Zabimaru lashing down, and Rukia leaping for Abarai.

"Glutton for punishment, aren't you? Pft, moron."

Kaien swatted the air above him before opening his eyes. He laid on a sleeping mat in an unfamiliar room with the human form of Kagami peering over him, tense and pensive. Beside him, he saw Tsukabishi-san laying on top of Ichigo for some reason, scaring the hell out of the latter.

"What the- Where am I? Who the hell are you? And…Kaien?"

Ah, that was his cousin. Kaien gave him a weak smile. "Yo, Strawberry. Wonder when you would notice little old me. So…I guess we didn't save her, did we?"

Ichigo and Kaien both made a move to stand up when a voice sung " ~You move too much, you may die ~."

"Geta-boushi…"

"Urahara-san?"

"Mmm, I don't recall ever meeting you until yesterday. And I certainly don't remember giving you my name. I don't think Rukia gave it to you, either."

 _Stupid Kaien_. Another slip-up. _And will the man quit waving that fan in his face?_ It kind of made the former 12th taicho more disturbing and secretive than how Kaien remembered him. The bucket hat didn't help, either. Urahara-san gave Kaien a calculating look before dismissing Kaien's slip of the tongue.

"This must be your house," stated Ichigo.

"Correct," sang Urahara-san.

For the next few minutes, Kaien opted to watch the discussion between Urahara and Ichigo. Kaien inwardly agreed with Urahara-san on the suicidal aspect of going to Soul Society as they were, but outwardly, his stubborn Shiba pride had him scowling along with Ichigo. Kaien nearly tried to punch the man when he intimidated his cousin but for the hand of Kagami warning him off. The walking staff of Urahara-san held a familiar feel to it. _Benihime…_ Urahara's proposal had Kaien speculative.

"Ten days to train?! How is that possible?"

"Kaien, you guys don't have much of a choice. You need to train seriously, and your zanpakuto is seriously damaged. Your only hope would be to unlock Shikai to hopefully restore it. Ichigo needs all the help he can get, especially in his condition."

"What an interesting gikon you are," commented Urahara-san. "I don't remember ever seeing one quite like you. And," Urahara-san's smile stretched, "I don't think any _ordinary_ gikon should have this range of personality. Saishokou-san, is he by any chance a modified soul like Kon?"

"…Yes."

"My, my, how did someone like you get your hands on a mod soul outside of my little shop? Or on Shinigami powers?"

"…" Kaien sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "Alright, you might want to make yourselves comfortable. What I have to say may seem absolutely unbelievable, but it is true."

They moved to Urahara's sitting room. Kaien inelegantly plopped himself down on the floor and the other two followed suit on the floor in front of him.

"First thing," began Kaien, "My name in my last life as a Shinigami, before I got this human body, was Shiba Kaien."

Kaien spilled most the story, from his last night as a Shinigami of the Gotei 13, to his short time in Hell, to his new life and circumstances that had him in the human world. Kaien held back certain details, though. Like his hollow taint or the Soul King's motives to send Kaien to this particular timeline for example. Or the truth of Ichigo's heritage. It was not his place to interfere in his uncle's affairs or responsibilities. Kaien also neglected to reveal any of the _unabridged_ history from Kagami's initial speech and books. His gut feeling and his own common sense told the Shinigami hybrid not to give up the traitor and his less savory doings. Besides, the exile probably knew most of it anyways. As the story came to an end, Kaien waited in silence for the two men to respond. Ichigo and Urahara-san both wore unreadable expressions.

"So, you're the same Kaien I used to know."

"Wait, you kno-knew him?"

"A story for another time," waved off Urahara-san. "I guess you feel just as strongly as Kurosaki-kun to save Rukia-san. Hmm. Where did you get this asauchi, Kagami-san?" asked Urahara-san, withdrawing the remains of Kaien's asauchi. "As broken as it is, I can sense a very strong presence from within it. Very strange for an asauchi Kaien just got a few days ago."

"I guess I can explain," finally piped in Kagami. The little boy had a very defiant look on his face. "I got that blade myself from, ahem, a very reputable swordsmith. Mortus-sama did something to it, though. I think if Kaien here could just learn its name, the resulting release of his confined reiryoku should help mend the blade. I assure you that the blade is genuine. I'm sure someone as _intelligent_ as you can help Kaien recognize the true power of his zanpakuto."

Weird. Kagami didn't seem too thrilled to have Urahara Kisuke aware of their situation, but that the pure hostility of his tone contrasted sharply to his usual sarcastic but light attitude.

"Hmm. I still have not heard any sort of word of agreement from Kurosaki-kun or Kaien-kun."

"Rukia needs me, and no one else will save her. I have no choice, so I will give it a try!"

"Same here. I may not be the same body or even the same soul, but I am still the same Kaien. I failed Rukia, letting my pride put her in danger. She honored my request even when it costed me my life and freed me from Metastacia. I owe her everything."

"Very well."

A/N: Wow. This took me little over 17 hours to write in all. Hope someone will like this story. I wrote this in somewhere around eight days. Probably will update sometime within the next two weeks depending on how well I adapt to college life. A month at worse – I you all for your support.


	2. Part 2 - High Tide

Part 2: High Tide

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A/N: Thank you all reviewers, subscribers, and voters! I am happy to see some people showing interest in this story. I might break up the chapters a bit more for more frequent chapter updates. Especially with all the homework and studying I need to do for college.

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7\. Starting Over

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"Did you all come prepared?" asked Urahara-san from in front of the shop.

"Yeah. I told Oyajii that I will be sleeping over at a friend's house for a while."

"With me as that friend," tagged, Kaien who slung a pack over his shoulder. "So, what's first?"

"How do you have something like this down here, Urahara-san?"

"Is this even legal?"

Urahara-san just flicked his fan at them in bemusement.

"Welcome to my training room. I need the two of you to separate from your bodies, so…" Urahara suddenly poked Ichigo and Kaien with the end of his cane.

"Oof!" Kaien's shihakusho looked pretty worn and ragged from the other night, and Ichigo looked like another plus soul with his Chain of Fate connecting to his body.

"Alrighty. Ichigo-kun, I need to have you work on lesson one. But first, Kaien-kun, I will have you over here. Tessai-san will put up some barriers as needed so that you won't be accidently hurt while you train apart from Kursosaki-kun. Don't worry, I promise not to let anything bad happen to you. I take it you remember how to contact the spirit of your zanpakuto? Do that first, and I'll see about training you in your Zanjutsu. So just sit tight here, if you please?"

Kaien crooked his head to the side. "And what will Ichigo-kun be doing exactly?"

"Just some stamina training and so forth. See how Kurosaki-kun struggles to stand right now? We need to fix that. So just stay put and out of our way. I know very well how you can be Kaien-kun, so don't interrupt," chirped Urahara with a careless toss of his fan in Kaien's direction. Kaien threw the former taicho a death stare the moment he thought Ichigo was too distracted to notice.

"Okay, but first," Kaien walked over to his unconscious body and rifled through its pockets, "this." He handed Ichigo a black stone. "Here you go. Kagami said something about you needing this. I don't know what it is but-" The stone began to flicker wildly the moment it fell into Ichigo's hands. It morphed until Ichigo held a simple katana.

"What the hell?"

"Mmm, an asauchi, or unnamed zanpakuto. All students aspiring to be Shinigami are given one. In the usual process, the student would gradually imprint part of their soul to the blade, forming a zanpakuto spirit. I do wonder how your little brother can get his hands on these things." Urahara-san had that evil look again.

"With practice," drawled the boy from out of nowhere. Kagami casually strolled over to them. "Mortus-sama himself instructed me to give Ichigo one. He said something about some sort of precautionary seal on it. When Ichigo manages to achieve the requirements, the seal will break. Don't know what will happen next, though. But," said Kagami, hushing the scowling human, "it will help you access your _true_ power – or at least a part of it. There are some things that only _certain people_ can impart to you and allow you to unlock your full power. Continuing without an asauchi, though, will only lead to the creation of a false blade, or something of that kind. Well, I'll be watching from over there."

The little boy gave a mischievous grin before skipping over to set of boulders sitting in the far corner of the mountainous landscape. Urahara-san looked surprised, his usual cheery façade a bit cracked along the edges. But then he began to smile widely with a glint in his eyes. He flick open his fan and said, "That gikon of yours is certainly a fascinating subject."

Kaien thought he knew of the former 12th division head scientist well enough to be justified in aiming a glare at him in warning. "Don't even try it, Urahara-san. Ichigo will back me up on this."

"What is he going on about- Never mind. Why don't we get to training?" snapped Ichigo.

Kaien strolled over to the spot indicated and prepared to perform Jinzen. One by one, his senses shut down but for his spiritual perception. He could feel Ichigo's reiatsu spiking from whatever training Urahara saw fit to use. Even that faded from his mind.

Sea salt. That was the first thing Kaien's mind registered. He blinked. All around him was a vast, tumultuous sea. Weirdly, he could see little islands made of…ice? More so, the very sea seemed to boil even with the clear existence of floating ice patches. In Kaien's original inner world, he had a single vast island surrounded by a calm sea. Here, the Shinigami felt a disconcerting mix of sultry breezes and chilling winds. Kaien nearly slipped on his icy platform when he went to jump to one of the islands. He could not get his feet to move even a little without sliding!

"Not very good at walking are you," remarked a coy voice behind Kaien.

The Shinigami fell flat on his bottom when he swiveled around in the direction of the voice. An eyeless face regarded the teen with unconcealed amusement. Evidently his zanpakuto spirit was no longer the fierce lady warrior of his previous life. This new spirit was clearly serpentine, the head as large as horse's, scales ebony except around the head where sapphire scales created a rippling mask and white formed eyespots. A jagged back fin trailing from the back of its neck to below the water where its body was hidden from view. The sea surrounding was island was noticeably calm, even as the rest of the ocean rolled and rose.

"Uh, hello? By any chance, is your name Nejibana?"

The creature stared at the Shinigami, unnervingly so. Sweat began to bead on the back of Kaien's neck as the head drifted closer to his face.

"You already know this answer, do you not?" hissed the spirit.

"Just checking." Kaien waved his hands in surrender in an effort to placate the clearly annoyed sea snake. "Ah, I'm sorry? I meant no offense, honest. I just needed to…know…"

The serpent tipped its head nearly upside down. "Nah. It's not that big of a deal. I mean, I do retain some the memories of her. But, clearly I am NOT a woman. You do know that? Don't answer. I _am_ , however, a part of you. Have any questions?"

"Yes. You know me, Shiba – I mean Saishokou – Kaien. And you?"

"Hm." The serpent flicked its tongue, the edges of its mouth crooking slightly. The serpent gave a hissing peal of laughter.

"So, _hahaha_ , casually you ask that! My name is not so light a thing. You want it? Then why not go and find me first? Most zanpakuto test their Shinigami, no? Here's my challenge: each island has a little box. If you can find me, I shall impart my name to you. We have a lot of boxes, though. And some of these islands are not that close together. Good luck." The serpent redrew its head and dived without a single ripple on the sea's surface.

"Damn!" Kaien had torn through hundreds of these boxes. Not a one held a zanpakuto that felt right in his hands. And the damn spirit forgot to mention the little present within the false boxes that would either try to boil him, toss snow into his face, or cause some form of pain. He kicked the latest one right into the sea after it began to sizzle.

How did he do it last time? Kaien could not remember it; that time seemed so long ago – centuries, in fact. A memory flashed. / _"Be happy that you can sense as well as you do," lectured Kagami. "Your new hybrid reiryoku does prove unmanageable at times for accurate soul perception, but at least you are not your cousin; his usually drowns the area too much for anything less than soul ribbons. And soul ribbons are a stretch for him most of the time from what I can tell." /_ That was it. Kaien opened his mind's eye. He felt the currents of reiatsu flowing through his inner world; ribbons hung everywhere, but one red ribbon shone with an eerie dark light. _Gotcha._

He made a grab for the ribbon – and fell into the sea with a splash. _Aaaahhh! Hot! Hot! Hot!_

A second time, and Kaien had the ribbon firmly in his fist. He shunpoed from island to island until only one remained in a seemingly empty strand of sea. This island was different: it was not ice but a true island with snow covering the ground, and a forest of ash and pine. A single palm tree somehow grew in the very center of a clearing. Just below the palm tree sat a golden chest in the middle of a small cradle of silvery water. Kaien slowly walked up to it. The clasps gently clicked open, and Kaien thrust a hand into the black inside. Light began to shine from the box. The Shinigami barely heard the hiss of a serpent dissolving into a roar.

One does not expect to wake from Jinzen by the screams of a hollow. To the far side of the training area, Kaien spotted Urahara-san, Tsukabishi-san, and their two unusual children. They looking at something in some pit that Kaien never saw before.

"Oi, Geta-boushi!" greeted Kaien, adopting Ichigo's nickname for Urahara-san. "Where's the Strawberry?" Blink. Kaien could swear he felt a wave of hollow reiatsu trying its best to bring the Shinigami to his knees. "And what the hell is- Oh shit!"

Suddenly, the hollow reiatsu spiked dangerously. The teenager hurried over to where the four stood. In the pit laid his cousin in the midst of turning into a hollow. Kaien rounded on the shopkeeper.

"What the hell did you do?!"

"My, my, Kaien-kun, you must not worry so much. I take it you finally discovered your zanpakuto's name. Congratulations. As for Kurosaki-kun…this method is called the Shattered Shaft. Basically, we had broken his Chain of Fate. In order for Kurosaki-kun to come out of this alive, he needs to gain the powers of a Shinigami."

Kaien argued with himself to _not_ punch the former taicho in the face. Nope, nada, not a good idea. But his fist itched to do some damage. So he just turned to the side and shattered a nearby boulder. Everyone sweat dropped.

"Why," seethed Kaien, "did you risk Ichigo's life like this? What will be the consequences if he fails? Or even if he succeeds? Did you even warn him?"

"Calm down, Kaien-kun. Do not work yourself up so. Kurosaki-kun said he would risk just about anything for the power to save Rukia-san's life. This is the only way. If he fails…he dies."

Kaien tugged at his messy hair in irritation. "How much longer?"

"Well, you were meditating for nearly three days, so Kurosaki-kun does not have long."

Suddenly a wave of power burst from the pit. Tsukabishi-san then said something about 'elimination mode'. _Not good_. Tsukabishi-san aimed forbidden bakudo into the pit and at the masked Ichigo. Kaien tensed in anticipation, as the next wave of reiatsu tore the powerful bakudo apart.

"Strawberry? You still there? Please be alive. And sane. Seriously, I don't want to explain to your family about why you didn't come back from my house."

Kaien jumped back. The figure that emerged bore the shihakusho but also a hollow's mask. Kaien began to reach for his broken sword.

"A mask and a zanpakuto," muttered Kaien. That uneasy feeling in the back of his mind grew. The asauchi-turned-to-zanpakuto was not _quite_ right, the power still seething below and incomplete.

"Is he a hollow? Or a Shinigami?" asked the red-haired boy.

Suddenly, Ichigo took his shattered blade and smashed the mask. His left hand grasped the bottom edge and pulled the remnant of the mask aside.

"Ichigo!" The familiar scowl bared itself to the five spectators.

Kaien felt pride for all of two minutes. Then Ichigo took his blade and struck at Urahara-san. Or tried to.

"Ichigo," hummed Kaien. His cousin had the gall to go after Urahara-san _alone._ "I wanted to kill Urahara-san first." Kaien dove after the two combatants, his broken katana drawn.

Kaien wanted to either laugh or moan. After all Ichigo has been through, he could not figure out that Urahara-san was definitely _not_ a mere candy shop owner. Kaien's jabs and Kido spells had little effect besides scarring the landscape. He gave a frustrated yelp as he narrowly side-stepped the jab from Ichigo that missed Urahara-san and almost got him! Urahara-san sure was amused with them. Until his expression abruptly sharpened.

"All zanpakuto have a name. So do yours. Kaien-kun, your katana is broken, and Kurosaki-kun, yours is even worse, and your strikes have no power. You cannot hope to defeat me when I get serious. Let me introduce you two to my zanpakuto. Scream, Benihime."

The wave of reiatsu knocked Ichigo back. Kaien could barely hold his own. And it was all that the two Shinigami could do to avoid Urahara-san's energy attacks. "Sing Benihime!" No time to escape. Kaien could only hope to block some of the attack.

Saishokou Kaien. Why do you not fight back? Let your past shroud your eyes, and the present will escape you. Wander without purpose and you will be as so much dust on the wind. Walk with resolve, and the heavens themselves will be within reach. I am not Nejibana. So who am I? I am the waves, the depths - the power of the sea itself! Name me!

'Alright, alright. Sheesh, you may not be a woman, but you sure act like Nejibana.' The answering hiss did nothing to make Kaien lose his mental smirk. Kaien raised his broken katana to the side, jagged end down, and began to slowly spin it.

"Stir, the heavens above and the seas below, Ikuchi!"

The next wave of energy struck against a tide of water. The steam cleared to reveal Kaien. His shihakusho was fixed and added with the kosode crossed by two white chains from shoulder to opposite hip. A sea-blue cloth belt wrapped around the waist with the ends dangling off Kaien's right hip. In his right hand, Kaien held a double sided trident with prongs of silver facing up and gold facing down. The black staff contrasted sharply with the white Celtic designs. Water dripped from one end and some sort of oil from the other end.

Urahara-san smirked. He tilted his head in acknowledgment before turning all his attention to Ichigo. During this uneven exchange of blows, Kaien sensed it. Ichigo had his back to Urahara-san. The doubt, the fear, the hesitation disappeared, replaced by determination and power.

"Zangetsu!"

Currents of air and power surged around the human. When it cleared, Ichigo had his fixed zanpakuto. He knelt with a wicked Khyber knife, the black blade as long as he was tall with a thin hollow bone section running from the hilt to the center of the blade. The power felt genuine, but Kaien had a feeling of _something more_ still hidden from sight. Even from Ichigo himself.

"Since you both have your zanpakuto, time for Lesson Three!"

"Sorry, Urahara-san. You will have to hide."

Kaien blinked, shook off his heavy thoughts, and gave Urahara-san a cocky grin.

"That's right, you might want to step back."

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8\. Ready or Not, Run and Don't Look Back

* * *

Kaien stared blankly at the red paint splattered against the wall. Somewhere in the upper levels of the building, Kagami was cursing Urahara-san behind closed doors. _Hehehe, Urahara-san sure has changed since the time I first met him. He used to be such a nervous guy, even after a decade as a taicho under his belt. Why do I feel like Ichigo is throwing a tantrum right at this moment?_

Kaien chuckled a bit before calling to the gikon, "Come on, Kagami. The message did say immediately." Some more stomping and yelling. Then a stoic-looking panda bear strolled down the stairs.

"Hey Ichigo. Hello Inoue-chan, Chad. And…Ishida-san?"

Kaien did remember Urahara-san mentioning how some of their friends would be joining them, but the Quincy was still a startling presence to see here. Not to mention his outfit. Seriously, a cape? What was Ishida-san, a superhero? Ichigo felt the same as he commented on said ridiculous costume. A patient voice interrupted their squabbling.

"So everyone has arrived. Come in. It's time."

Leaning in the doorway of the shouten was Urahara-san.

Kaien sometimes wished he was still a Shinigami – an official one, that is. Like now, when he and his friends had to run without stopping through Urahara's Sankaimon as the Cleaner swept in behind them.

Urahara-san had instructed the group to make it to the Soul Society in four minutes or they would be trapped forever. And on top of that, the group had arrived on the same day of the weekly release of the Cleaner. If Inoue-chan had not used her little sprites, they would be worse than dead.

Picking himself up from the ground, Kaien took in his surroundings. Their landing stirred up a cloud of dust. All around him, his friends were recovering from their impromptu landing. Kaien protested when Yoruichi-san smacked Orihime-chan for endangering her soul, and thus her life.

"Aww, don't be so mean to Orihime-chan. She did what she thought best at the time. We would have died if she had not erected that shield, Yoruichi-san."

"Yeah, you don't have to throw a fit. We're here and that's all that matters."

"So this is Soul Society," observed Ishida-san.

"Yep. Home to me," said Kaien a bit vacantly, his mind decades away. Even after several decades, the Soul Society has hardly changed a bit during his absence - the same old-fashioned houses, the same old feel of rustic simplicity. "This is the Rukongai, the districts surrounding the Seireitei. Here, normal plus souls arrive and live in the 80 districts. Only the Shinigami, the nobles, and the members of the government live in the Seireitei."

"Home?" quietly inquired Chad.

Reviewing his words, Kaien nearly cursed himself aloud. Being here really screwed up his concentration. "Well, ahh, you see… It's a long story. I used to be a Shinigami long ago and still am one. No one will recognize me now, if it's any consolation."

"Oh? Why won't they recognize you, Kaien-kun?"

"Maa, well, I've changed dramatically since then. Let's say my origins are too colorful to explain today," waved off Kaien, a playful grin nailed to his face. Judging by his friends' stares, they didn't really believe him but would trust him. Ichigo shook his head angrily at Kaien. _I guess I won't be winning any acting awards anytime soon._

"So, the Shinigami live over there?"

"Yes," answered Yoruichi-san and with that, Ichigo dashed off. "No! You'll be killed!"

"Ichigo! Get back here!" His cousin had a death wish sometimes. First the Menos Grande, now this. "Brace yourselves!" Kaien shouted to everyone else.

The wall and gates of the Seireitei crashed down. Towering above Ichigo loomed Ikkanzaka Jidanbo.

"Ichigo, be careful!"

"Who is that guy?" asked Ishida. "No way can a human get that large."

"That is Jidanbo, one of the guardians of the four gates – the West Gate. He is by no means an easy opponent as a member of the elite. He has guarded the Seireimon Gate for 300 years without as single illegal entrant. Ichigo! We must retr- wait, come back here!" yelled Kaien to the departing back of his errant cousin.

Inoue-chan and Chad had opted to run after Ichigo. Kaien didn't bother. He knew what came next. Jidanbo lifted his monstrous axe and swung down, tearing the earth into a massive wall.

"How disgusting," rumbled the gatekeeper, "that the two of you tried to attack me? This city has rules. One, wash your hands periodically. Two, don't eat food off the ground. Three, duels are fought as one-on-one fights!"

Kaien hopped over the rubble to Chad and Inoue-chan's side. He placed a hand on Chad's shoulder.

"Don't bother. Nothing but powerful kido can break through that wall. And interfering in another's duel is dishonorable. Ichigo can handle himself."

"But-!"

"Chad, Orihime, Kaien, stay right there!"

"Kurosaki-kun? Are you okay, alright?"

"I'm fine. Just listen to Kaien, and I will deal with the gate keeper."

"What in the world are you thinking, Kurosaki?!" shouted Ishida-san. "You saw his power. I don't care how hard you've trained, you can't just handle this guy by yourself. I-"

"Oh, there you are Ishida."

Kaien chuckled. Same old Ichigo. The two teens yelled at each other some more until Ichigo quite proudly explained what he had done during the 10 days. Kaien strolled to Ishida-san and held his hand up.

"Ichigo has the possibility of winning."

"Possibility? You too, Saishokou?"

Kaien made a cutting off gesture. "Regardless, this is Ichigo's fight. If he cannot defeat Jidanbo, he has no chance of saving Rukia. Trust in your friend's will and determination." Kaien's smile sharpened with pride. "He has not fought Urahara-san without _some_ improvement, no matter what Ichigo says."

"Are you finished?"

Kaien watched as Ichigo held strong against every blow of the gate keeper's two axes. He inwardly cheered when his baby cousin effortlessly destroyed the giant's twin axes. Outwardly, Kaien nodded his head with approval.

As Jidanbo lifted the gate up, a sudden chill ran up Kaien's spine. His spiritual senses rang with danger. Standing right behind the gate walked one of the last people Kaien wanted to see. Ichimaru Gin, taicho of the 3rd division and a fellow regarded genius among Shinigami. A future traitor to the Gotei 13 and to Aizen if he had his way. The snake sliced Jidanbo's arm right off in a blur of motion.

Kaien acted without thinking. Jidanbo only acted in what he perceived as the honorable action of a defeated gate keeper. He ran at the taicho. And he was not alone. Ichimaru-taicho blocked their zanpakuto effortlessly, shoving the two Shiba's back several meters.

"Kurosaki Ichigo and his friend, Saishokou Kaien. Hmm. I definitely cannot let the two of you go in."

"Ichigo…" Kaien hefted his katana into a defensive position. Ichigo hardly paid him any heed and kept digging the hole deeper. _Why can't either of us keep our mouths shut when it really matters?_

"This is not a mere knife," continued Ichimaru Gin. "This is my zanpakuto. Shoot to kill, Shinsou."

Ichigo and he could not hope to block the sudden extension of the taicho's blade. The force blew them right into Jidanbo, and the injured giant flew back with them.

"Urgh…"

"Kurosaki! Saishokou!"

"It-IT HURTS!" exclaimed Ichigo.

Struggling into sitting position, Kaien reached over to cuff Ichigo on the back of his head.

"Of course it hurts! Getting knocked by the Shikai of a taicho, honestly… We're lucky to be alive," huffed Kaien, irritated pout on his face. "We probably should leave before someone comes to check."

"Kaien-kun is right. Let us look after our safety." The weird deep voice of Yoruichi-san still caught Kaien by surprise every time. _So not right_. "The gate has closed. That was Ichimaru Gin, taicho of the 3rd division. Regardless of whether you would have passed through the gates or not, the results would have been the same. Be thankful that the _two_ of you did not get injured," admonished Yoruichi-san.

"Hey, look there," pointed out Inoue-chan.

"People?"

"Why have they come out now?"

"Were they hiding?"

"Probably," muttered Kaien. The people of the Rukongai and those of the Seireitei did not have the best relationship. Members of each stuck to their own, especially those of the former. Shinigami business almost never boded well for the equivalent of the peasant class in Soul Society. Kaien had almost forgotten that in these past few months.

"Can't blame them. Those not guided by the Shinigami to Soul Society are regarded as ryoka. Association with such criminals would make such souls targets. They probably hid out of fear."

"But they're probably not dangerous since they did choose to reveal themselves," added Kaien, anticipating the question on his stern cousin's face.

"Excuse me. Pardon. Mister!" yelled a high voice from the crowd. A little boy ran with a hand raised in greeting toward the group. "It's me, the parakeet Shibata!"

Ah, the parakeet. Kaien remembered the little bird that Chad got. A particularly nasty piece of work hollow had trapped a poor soul within the parakeet to use as bait for any unsuspecting Shinigami with a promise to reunite the spirit with his lost mother.

The little boy played with Chad while the rest of the group watched Inoue-san demonstrate another of her powers, the power to heal. Her little hair pins created a shield that slowly repaired the damage to Jidanbo's severed arm. The adopted brother of Shibata came and explained how life in the Rukongai operated, with spirits separated and scattered across the vast districts.

As a member of one of the great clans, Kaien never really paid that much attention to how unfair the system would be to the incoming spirits. Even with their longevity, the souls of the common people had a very slim chance of finding their friends or family members. The gentle giant reassured his little friend that he always had the hope of finding his mom one day. Kaien grinned in good humor.

Inoue-chan had repaired much of the damage to Jidanbo. Odd, though, her style of healing. It really did not resemble any form of healing kido that Kaien had ever seen. The wound didn't knit itself together per se but rather was undone. Ichigo startled their healer, who blushed. Ichigo scolded her lightly, commenting that she would faint if she had to heal for five more hours. Kaien came over and lightly tousled her orange hair.

"Better listen, princess. You really should not push yourse-" A bunch of their spectators came and talked over each other, telling Inoue-chan to not overwork herself. Her face went beet red from all the thanks the Rukongai citizens heaped on her for her efforts. Kaien stood behind Inoue-chan and aimed a sharp smile at the ones that began to stare a bit _too_ intently at their pretty healer. The effect was instantaneous. _Some guys, honestly._ Good thing Ichigo was not that perceptive at times.

* * *

9\. The Shiba Clan

* * *

The group had just settled into the little house that some of the nice people had lent them for temporary lodging and began to discuss their next steps.

"Security had undoubtedly tightened the moment the West Gate closed."

"What of the other gates?" suggested Chad.

"I'd say no. The nearest gate is about 10 days away, and they probably have received security boosts, too." Kaien leaned back against the wall with his hands laced behind his head. "There's no way to get into the Seireitei by the gates."

"Exactly. We need to get in _without going through the gates._ " The group gave the black cat speculative stares. "Leave it to me. Elder, Shiba Kuukaku, where can we find Shiba-san?" inquired the feline.

Kaien stiffened for an instant, but he was not really surprised. Only one person had the capability to break through the impenetrable barriers of the Seireitei. Ichigo threw Kaien a raised eyebrow glance. Ah, so he remembered. Shiba. His clan. Or former clan, technically.

"Can it be that you wish to enter the city through _that…_?"

Suddenly, Kaien could hear a clamor from outside. The door fell in along with someone. Kaien jumped to his feet in surprise. What idiot would break into someone's home this close to the Seireitei? Since he was leaning right next to the poor door, Kaien just had to lean in to see the visage of an all too familiar face. He jerked back.

"Who is that?!" yelled Ichigo.

"Who indeed," muttered Kaien with a hand tangling into his hair. A wild boar also chose to enter via the same hole. The man suddenly leaped to his feet.

"GANJU? What are you doing here? Go home!"

The idiot. Kaien's little brother - dressed in shades, a bandana, a scarf, a sword and vest like some street punk - just had to make a crazy entrance. Kaien felt like either laughing in good humor or telling off his reckless and stubborn younger sibling. Then the idiot went and tried to start a fight with Ichigo and him.

"What are some punk SHINIGAMI doing here?! Listen I am the self-declared…" Kaien kind of zoned out during his little brother's rant. Just like old times. "Are you even listening, punk?"

Ganju suddenly lunged at him. Kaien was not anticipating such a stupid, insane move from…on second thought, Kaien probably should have known better.

"Cease, Ganju. These two are not bad Shinigami," voiced the elder spirit.

"There are no such thing as good or bad Shinigami. Shinigami are Shinigami," scowled Ganju.

Ganju slashed. Kaien blocked it with his katana. _What did Ganju mean about Shinigami? When did he have a problem with them? I, mean,_ I _was one._ He could hear his friends shouting, but Kaien had to concentrate on _not_ hurting his idiot brother too badly. Then Ganju twisted his blade into the ground, crying "Sink down!"

"Damn it, Ganju!" Ganju leapt with his feet aimed right for Kaien's head. The sinking of his blade caught him off-guard, his balance upset. But then a certain orange-headed Shinigami intervened.

"Hey, jerk! What is wrong with you?!" Ichigo, the idiot, had left his zanpakuto on the ground and managed catch Ganju's fist. The two then exchanged a flurry blows. Kaien was both impressed and miffed. Family, especially his, shouldn't fight like this unless it was sparring or horsing around. Ichigo's next punch sent Ganju soaring.

"Seriously? Don't you two think this has gone far enough?"

Ganju got back up, even though it looked like Ichigo sunk every bit of power into that last punch. Despite his irritation with his younger brother, Kaien could not help but shoot his brother a proud and wide grin.

"Wow, you sure are tough. But what is your problem with Ichigo and me?"

"Punks," spat Ganju. Before he could retaliate, one of the men riding a boar yelled at him about the time.

"9 o'clock?! Oh no!"

Ganju called over his monstrous boar and rode off, shouting that this was not the last time and to stay put. Kaien sweat dropped. In the background, he could hear Ichigo disparaging Ganju's choice of words about "running away like cotton in the wind". Kaien's slack jaw expression broke into a chorus of hysterical laughter.

" _Hahahaha_! He called you a dandelion."

"Well, err, arrgh, he called you a bloody blue porcupine."

"At least I'm not a flower."

Ichigo turned his anger on Kaien, making Chad and Ishida hold him back from a still giggling Kaien.

The next morning, Ichigo sported a fresh set of claw marks across his face.

"Oww, I thought you knew better than making Yoruichi-san angry, Ichigo-kun," teased Kaien.

"Shut up. And do NOT call me Ichigo-kun. Or Strawberry!" barked Ichigo in response to his cousin's smirk. Yoruichi-san glanced at the immature Shinigami and gave him a matching set of claw marks.

"Enough fooling around, children. Both of you should have known better. Ichigo-kun, you let your anger cloud your logic. Kaien-kun, you let your guard down. If Ichigo-kun had not intervened, Ganju-san would have dealt you a grave injury. A Shinigami cannot afford these mistakes. Learn this lesson well." Both 'young' Shinigami looked down in disgrace.

"Yes, Yoruichi-san."

Kaien tilted his face toward Ichigo. His embarrassment gone, he aimed at the younger Shinigami a mischievous grin.

"I totally agree with Yoruichi-san about our behavior." Kaien ignored the scowl and continued. "You really should not try waiting for Ganju-san. Just because you tried to stop him from leaving, and you got run over, that does not entitle you to making such a big deal out of nothing. You sure have anger issues," joked Kaien. He ducked the fist flying toward his head in the next moment.

They were on the road once more. The two Shinigami had wandered a little bit back from the rest of their group.

"Oi, Kaien."

"Hm?"

"Did you know this Kuukaku-guy?" said Ichigo in a lowered voice. The rest of their party didn't seem to notice their hushed conversation.

Kaien looked off into the forest. They had left the village behind some time ago during their walk.

"Yes. Kuukaku is a younger sibling of mine. The current leader of the Shiba Clan, if I recall."

"So, does that mean you know how we're getting into the Seireitei?"

"I have an idea. But, I think it might be better to let you see for yourself on how a group such as ourselves can break into one of the most secure places in Soul Society."

"Huh."

"What are you two whispering about?" inquired Yoruichi with a raised eye.

"…"

"Nothing, really. Just thinking about how our families are doing."

Half-truths really sucked. Kaien hated to lie like this to his new friends, but he couldn't exactly tell them the truth. He doubted that Urahara-san had time to inform the former captain of his 'situation'.

He didn't think that Yoruichi-san believed him in the slightest, but the cat only slitted her eyes and nodded slowly in acknowledgment.

Big. Eye-catching. And over-the-top.

Everyone but Yoruichi gaped at the structure in front of them. Even Kaien had nothing to say. He knew Kuukaku was fairly loud and a bit obnoxious at times, but really? _Well, I'm surprise if we couldn't have found this,_ quipped Kaien in his head. The two muscled arms holding a sign that said "Shiba Kuukaku". On second thought, the ridiculous thing did seem to suit Kuukaku perfectly.

Just as the group began to take a step toward the unconventional house, a voice shouted "Hold on!"

They turned their heads toward the voice, tensing in anticipation of a fight. His hand flew to the sword strapped to his side but relaxed when he saw his family's two retainers. Luckily, Yoruichi's presence cleared up the whole confrontation before any _misunderstandings_ could develop.

Muscles tensed, smile strained, and eyes darting back and forth - Kaien was the picture of nervousness. But how could he not be? Every step down the stairs brought them closer to his sibling – _former sibling_ his mind reprimanded. Shaking off the gloomy thoughts, Kaien laid wary eyes on the pair of doors at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hi! Long time no see, Yoruichi!"

Sprawled on some cushions and a furry mat was Kuukaku. Same old Kuukaku. The missing arm stunned Kaien for a moment, but he quickly masked it to match the shock of his friends - who apparently were unaware of his sibling's gender.

"She's a woman?!"

Kaien spared them a wry grin.

"So, who are the kids? Well, Yoruichi-san?"

"Hmm. Actually, Kuukaku-san, I came here for a favor."

"Like always, eh cat? Tell me, it the problem really complicated?"

"That is my belief."

"Okay. Tell me. I love complicated stuff."

The two continued to exchange words, and Kuukaku offered her help. Then she mentioned that one of her men would accompany them – her little brother. Kaien stifled a sigh. This wouldn't be good.

"Hel-Hello. My name is Shiba Ganju. Please to meet you!"

Cue awkward silence.

"…AHHHH, YOU!" shouted Ichigo and Ganju simultaneously.

Kuukaku gave them an inquiring look. "You guys know each other?"

Kaien sighed. "Yes, well, we ran into Ganju here a little while ago, back by the West Gate. I guess you could say he made quite an impression on Ichigo."

Ichigo and Ganju lunged at one another. Kuukaku gave Kaien a scathing look. The older/younger man rubbed the back of his head. "Err, I didn't say it was a good impression. I- URK!"

The fighting between the two drifted over to where Kaien knelt, dragging the reluctant brother into their fight out of necessity. Kuukaku was not happy about this in the least. "STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" She slugged and kicked the three into the floor.

"Ugh, why did you hit me?" whined Kaien. "I hardly started the fight, and I could hardly not react to two guys slinging their fists with me almost getting trampled."

"Your sister is scary," muttered Ichigo quietly to the other Shinigami. Kaien nodded weakly in agreement. He may have ruled as clan head in his day, but Kuukaku got what she wanted the majority of the time.

After seeing the infamous Kakaku cannon, the group spent some time working on reiatsu control for their launch. Kaien and Orihime-san did the best, Ishida-san and Chad eventually got it, and Ichigo…would eventually get in time.

That night, Kaien couldn't sleep. Frustrated, he got up from his sleeping mat and wandered the halls. He meandered around until he arrived outside where the fireworks cannon could be seen. And he was definitely not the only one there. Kuukaku was sitting and drinking in front of the cannon.

Kaien watched her take a sip.

"What has you walking around at this hour?"

The former Shiba started. Grinning sheepishly, Kaien joined Kuukaku up on the roof.

"You know," spoke Kuukaku in a casual tone after pouring another cup of sake, "You do have to wake up early for the launch tomorrow morning. What's the matter? By the way, I didn't quite catch your name."

Kaien had an internal game of tug of war twisting his guts. Mortus-sama warned the Shinigami to not expose his secret to everyone, but to also make his own decisions. Should he tell Kuukaku? Ichigo and Urahara-san knew most of the story, Yoruichi probably would have some inkling if Urahara-san didn't already tell her. Perhaps he should start out simple.

"My name is Saishokou Kaien."

"Kaien?" questioned Kuukaku. "My older brother, he had the same name. I guess it's not really that uncommon."

"Small world," quipped Kaien with an easy grin. Kuukaku's intense stare made the Shinigami squirm internally.

"Huh. That smile of yours…" Her gaze clouded for a moment. Then she shook off the memory. She turned fully to the 'young' Shinigami. "Sorry. You reminded me a little of my older brother Shiba Kaien. He used to smile so brightly. He was easily the most cheerful and outgoing of my clan. A real natural combatant, too."

Kaien said not a word. The two sat quietly in front of the cannon, sipping sake under the moon.


	3. Part 3 - Flood Tide

Part 3 – Flood Tide

* * *

A/N:

Kaien and everyone else shall speak "within normal quotation marks"

Kaien's personal thoughts are _normal italicized words_

Kaien's direct telepathic communication with his spirits 'only has these single quotations'

Hollow Kaien thought speech **is bold**

Ikuchi, his zanpakuto, thought speech is underlined 

All flash backs / _are italicized, too, with these forward slash marks. /_

* * *

10\. Through the Barrier

* * *

"Less energy, Ichigo! Less! Less!"

The five friends, Ganju, and Yoruichi soared through the air. Ichigo had moderately improved his reiatsu control, but he still pumped out way too much! Now Ganju messed up the spell, and their energy bubble was upon the barrier of the Seireitei.

"We're going to crash! We can't stop that, so everyone emit as much energy as possible to harden the cannonball!"

Kaien wore a grim expression, all his concentration focused on _not_ dying again along with his newfound friends and family. _Now or never._ The cannonball struck the barrier. They made it to the other side, but the cannonball shield broke apart. Kaien's eyes widened in realization.

"Guys!"

"Everyone, join hands! The shield was melted down by the barrier. The residual energies holding us together are temporary. Soon a tornado from the energy displacement will begin! It will spin us in different directions if we separate!"

Energy surged around the group. Kaien gritted his teeth. Wind screamed around them, and pushed Kaien too far from most of the others. Seeing his little brother in the same situation, he kicked out to send the next nearest person (Ganju) flying toward Ichigo. The man gave Kaien an indignant glare, but he grabbed at Ichigo's hand. The wind roared.

The earth rapidly approached Kaien. The Shinigami grimaced and thrust a hand in front of him.

"Bakudo number 37: Tsuruboshi!"

A net of blue energy hooked itself to several buildings. Just in time, too, as Kaien's body hurtled against the kido net, tearing it in the process. Kaien groaned from the pain, but he had only very minor bruising overall. He looked around at the cracked and dented earth.

"Wow, that could have ended with a Kaien pancake" joked the Shinigami weakly. A rustling and shouting around him brought his attention back his problem.

He ducked behind a building just before a group of Shinigami raced into his alley. After a few minutes of playing hide-and-seek, Kaien stopped to catch his breath and recollect his thoughts. From what he recalled, the seven of them had scattered in five directions. Inoue and Ishida, Ichigo and Ganju, Chad and Yoruichi by themselves.

"The first thing to do," stated the former fukutaicho, "is to find my bearings. And to find the others. Hm. If I were them, I would expect them to follow the original plan: find Rukia. I'm sure if I can find Rukia, I can find them. Shinigami who break the laws of the Shinigami and are condemned to execution…she must be in the Tower of Repentance."

Kaien scowled. It really a cruel punishment. The white tower totally cut off the senses from the reiatsu beyond the white walls, and condemned criminals could only see the execution stand from there. Kaien was just about to climb up on one of the buildings when he heard a bunch of shouting. He turned around. A mob of lower division Shinigami with the tenth division mark swarmed into his alley.

"Whoa, whoa! Can't we talk ab- Never mind," muttered Kaien as he dodged the various sword swipes. He drew Ikuchi and fended off the group. "This is ridiculous!" With his next swing, Kaien transferred his sword solely into his right hand and focused his reiatsu into his left hand. It began to glow.

"Hado number 32: Okasen!" Yellow energy arced, sending all the Shinigami in front of him into the walls and ground.

"Impressive, ryoka."

Kaien spun around. There in front of him was what appeared to be a young, white-haired boy.

"Where did you get a zanpakuto? No matter. I will stop you here. Before we begin, tell me who are you?"

"Saishokou Kaien, you can say I'm an independent agent of the Shinigami."

"You may call yourself whatever you want. It will mean very little to me. I am the 10th division taicho Hitsugaya Toshiro. I cannot allow you and your compatriots to run loose in the Seireitei."

Hitsugaya drew his zanpakuto and struck. Kaien barely managed to block the blow that pushed him back a few feet. They exchanged blows, with Kaien barely dodging or blocking the incoming strikes. Kaien knew he was nowhere near taicho level, but he could not simply give up. Maybe he spent a bit too much time around Ichigo, but running away like this would probably leave a bad taste in his mouth. Leaping back a few more feet, Kaien pointed his katana blade down and began to twirl it.

"Stir, the heavens above and the sea below, Ikuchi!"

"A Shikai? How did someone like you achieve _that_?"

Kaien threw himself into battle with twice as much vigor as previously. Now the tables had turned for Hitsugaya could barely keep up against the onslaught of water and oil slashes. _May not have Bankai, but I do have a powerful Shikai. Keep it up and don't let him relea-_

Hitsugaya managed to shunpo into the sky. Kaien closed in, but could not stop the young taicho from unleashing his Shikai.

"Sit upon the frozen Heavens, Hyorinmaru!" The air turned frigid and the sky above darkened with a peal of thunder.

 _Ah, shit._ A stream of ice lashed out from his sword. Kaien couldn't block it fully and the ice dragon sent the Shinigami hurtling to the earth. He barely managed to stand before the dragon struck again. It ripped a bloody wound across his side when he tried to dodge it. The blade came hurting down again and again, ripping more gashes across his torso. The world tilted on its axis. _No, I can't just give up. I-I…_ The world turned black.

"Pathetic."

Kaien opened his eyes and saw a bright pair of blue-green eyes. Yelping in surprise, Kaien leapt to his feet before staggering. The figure in front of him…it looked like him. It had white skin, black sclera with familiar blue-green irises, black hair streaked with purple, but it was him. In fact - minus the black sclera, skin and hair streaks - the figure before him could pass as the _original_ Shiba Kaien. But his shihakusho was an inverted color, white instead of black, and black chains instead of white chains. And that face, Kaien could not ever recall seeing his own expression ever that dark or...demented.

"Well, Shiba-sama, aren't you sight for sore eyes."

"Shiba-sama?"

"Thought it appropriate being a former clan head and all. I thought it would good for someone to remind you of your _former_ prestige and rank. And I am but your humble servant, your dog….Or am I?" The maniacal grin sharpened.

"Dog? Who are you?"

"Who do you think? I'll give you a hint. I'm the manifestation of your instinct, you could say."

Manifestation of my instincts? That phrase sounded all too familiar.

/ _"Pay attention, Kaien. In preparation for when you do unlock your Shinigami powers, we're going to have a little lesson on inner hollows. You have one deep inside, created at the moment we extracted your soul from Aaroniero. He's dormant, but he will come out some day. And you need to be prepared for it. Recognizing him shouldn't be too hard. He will look like an inverted reflection of you. Appropriate considering he represents the darker half of you. He shall stand for the darkness you lock within your soul, your despair, your insecurities, your rage and fears. In short, he will be the manifestation of your basest instincts." /_

"You're my inner hollow."

"So you are as much a genius as those Shinigami lauded. This will make things much easier."

"Enough, hollow." A familiar black head surfaced from the sea. Ikuchi. The zanpakuto turned to Kaien.

"Kaien," it sighed, "You have failed me. Don't you know anything about the relationship of Shinigami and their zanpakuto?"

"Wait, what do you mean? To wield a zanpakuto is to form a mutual partnership, to create a deep bond with that which is already a part of our soul."

"A _real_ smart one, huh?" sneered the white Kaien. "If you're such a genius, then tell me, have you accepted _all_ the parts of your new soul? Even that of Metastacia?"

Kaien's first response was to say _hell yes!_ But when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. Metastacia. So many years passed since he had died along with that hollow, but to him it was only some months ago. He set his mouth in a firm angry line.

The hollow threw back its head and laughed. "What do I tell you, Ikuchi? Little Shiba-sama will never gain the full force of his power. And you know why?" The hollow was suddenly in Kaien's face. He lowered his voice to a conspiring whisper. " _Because_ , your powers as a Shinigami are forever tied to that of a hollow. You can't really do anything without me. And without me…you are nothing, Shiba _-sama_."

Ikuchi only looked toward Kaien with his sightless face. "Kaien-kun, you must find it in yourself to seize the power that is yours by right. But, only you can do that."

"Knock it off, Ikuchi. Shiba-sama will never understand and never attain his _full_ potential. How could he," the hollow jabbed a finger in Kaien's direction, "get past his doubts, his anger, and his despair? No. He just shoves it away until it eats away at his conscience. For example, Miyako."

Kaien flinched slightly. The hollow noticed as his sneer grew.

"Poor, poor Miyako. Third seat of the 13th division, Lady of House Shiba, and of course Shiba-sama's late wife. You didn't even have the strength to avenge her death. What makes you think that you can defeat a taicho? You are certainly not at the level you were before facing Metastacia, and you were a fukutaicho, one of the best, too. Now look at you – a wraith, a lost soul in a new body. What can someone like _you_ can do? Well?"

"Shut up!" Kaien glared at his doppelganger. "Leave Miyako out of this."

"Okay then. What about everyone else then? You were as much as fault as the rest of the old guard of the Gotei 13 when Central 46 banished all those poor Shinigami. What makes you any better than them? Or how about dear old Rukia? Your stupid pride and carelessness forced her to live with _your_ blood on _her_ hands. How can you ever make it up to her?"

Silence. His poker face gave nothing away, but Kaien's fists shook at his side. _He's right._ That thought echoed throughout his head. The hollow's sharpened smile hinted that the hollow had heard that thought.

"See, Ikuchi. A coward. Can't even take a little truth."

The zanpakuto spirit did not react. A stretch of silence with the hollow's deranged giggles in the background. Finally it let out a long hissing sigh. "Kaien-kun, the truths you seek are in your own soul. Look for them. Rukia. Ichigo. Kagami. Even Sado-san, Inoue-san, and Ishida-san. Are they not your friends even in this lifetime? And what of every one of the Seireitei? Many of them still live. And they will need you in the coming days. Are you truly so lost, _Saishokou Kaien_ , that you would forget your honor as a friend, a Shinigami, as a man? Well?"

 _/ Rukia acting so nervous during those first days…brave Rukia coming back for her own pride…Blood staining the ground as Ichigo takes another hit from a hollow. Ichigo fighting back against Renji…His clan members assembled for dinner, and Ganju laughed at something he had said…Those two younger division members fussing over Ukitake-taicho who tells them it was nothing… /_

"No," he whispers. "No. NO." He straightened his back and held his head high, "I have my pride, and I protect the ones I love. And I will not fail them because of my own insecurities. My truth," Kaien growled, "is that no matter the life time, I am who I am. I am Kaien – friend, ally, cousin, brother. I am Shinigami, and I will not forget all that I've done wrong, nor the people I have failed, but neither will I lose myself to despair! They who have left behind a part of their 'Heart' to me deserve better than that."

"Oh yeah? 'Heart'? Do you truly believe people are so connected that even in death, a part of themselves remain with the living? Hah! Tough words coming from someone about to die because of some Shinigami pipsqueak," jeered the hollow.

It made a quick gesture at the serpent whose form slowly distorted and then vanished. "If you really think you have what it takes to rule over this world, Shiba-sama, then…" The hollow drew what looked like an inverted version of Ikuchi. The doubled-bladed trident had a white staff with black designs. The prongs were the colors of lead and copper. "Take it!" The hollow lunged.

Kaien drew his own katana and barely guarded against the sudden assault. The hollow sneered and twisted his trident, nearly taking Kaien's katana if he had not taken a step back in time.

"Come on, coward." The hollow and Kaien exchanged a flurry of blows, but Kaien had a sinking feeling that the darkest part of his soul was just playing. "What is that? A mere katana? Our sword is much more than that pathetic thing." The hollow suddenly flicked some of the oil running down the trident into Kaien's face. Taking advantage of Kaien's blinded state, the hollow slid his trident along Kaien's blade and twisted it from his grip. By the time Kaien registered the move, the hollow had his katana in his left hand.

The hollow looked down on Kaien. "As I said in the beginning, pathetic." The katana in his hand distorted and vanished. "You don't deserve a zanpakuto. Those words you said before don't have nearly the depth or breadth of meaning behind them. You know the difference between a lord and his dog?"

Kaien, despite his exhausted and bleeding state, smiled. "Uh, one has two legs and the other…"

"No! It's not that obvious, idiot! If a lord and his dog shared everything else – form, power, intelligence, and potential – then how are they different? You won't ever wield Ikuchi and mine _true_ power if you can't figure it out. The difference between the lord and the mutt is _instinct_ , like I said before. The instinct to seize power, seize status and control. And frankly, you don't have that. Why should a coward like you rule? You didn't have the _power_ to fight off that Hitsugaya brat, and you didn't have the strength to fight off Metastacia's control. Absolutely pathetic. You know what, I shouldn't have to follow a weak host like you. If you lose Shiba-sama, then I will destroy you, swallow your soul, and take your body for my own."

"This isn't over yet," gasped Kaien. He held his own against Metastacia without the use of his zanpakuto, he could hold own now. He dodged the next jab and flung red energy at his white doppelganger. They fought like this for a few minutes, but the battle took its toll on Kaien. Line after line of pain burned along his torso, arms, and legs. Blood had begun to drip down a cut on his forehead from an ill-blocked swing. At this rate, Kaien was going to lose.

 _Will he really end his second chance, his opportunity at a new life on because he couldn't win against…himself?_ That was it. / _"The trick to defeating an inner hollow is to realize what an inner hollow is. It really is quite simple if you break it down to its simplest parts. Oh, I'm not going to tell you what, either. You're just going to have to learn the secret yourself. Although, it really is quite easy." /_ Back during his early days in Karakura Town, Kagami gave Kaien the key to defeating his inner hollow. As the hollow thrust his trident, Kaien let his arms fall to his sides.

"No." The prongs stopped short of piercing his chest.

"What?"

"No. I am no coward, and I am not afraid of you. Fighting you is pointless."

"Surrendering? Where's that infamous Shiba pride, Shiba-sama?" sneered the hollow, but his face held an uneasy look. "I could spear you through the heart and take over."

"Yes, but you won't win. Like you said, you're the manifestation of _my_ deepest and darkest instincts. Fighting you and killing you will not mean me winning. In the long run, I would lose. As a part of my soul, you will not die. You would probably just be driven to some dark corner until I weaken enough for you to try again. So, go ahead and try to kill me."

The hollow looked utterly flummoxed. Kaien would have laughed if it wouldn't had hurt pretty badly at this point. Then the hollow gave a frustrated yell and made to stab Kaien as promised. But no sooner than it try to move, the trident shattered. Several pieces of metal and wood fell to the flood in a puddle of oil and water. Kaien let a small smile play on his face. He stepped toward his white double.

His right hand extended forward, and Ikuchi in Shikai state swirled into being into his open hand. "See."

The hollow snarled, slowly backing away. "What…What did you _do_?"

"He beat you on his own terms," replied a familiar voice. The spirit of his zanpakuto manifested behind him, upper body on shore while the lower body laid submerged. The serpent turned to Kaien.

"I do not think we will have to worry too much about him taking over," calmly stated the serpent. "What you did was most effective. You acknowledged your darkness but did not let it control you. You refused to give in."

"So, what do I do with him?" Kaien let himself drop to the ground, legs crossed.

" _Do_ with me?" huffed the defeated hollow with indignation. "'Do with me' he says. Pssh. Such an idiot." The hollow muttered a few more choice words about Kaien's character.

"Well, young Kaien, what do _you_ want to do with our dark friend?"

Kaien scratched the top of his head. "Uhhh…I don't want to get rid of him, if that's what you mean." He looked down on the hollow who had decided to join him on the sand of the island. "He is myself, after all. I guess he could just hang around here in my inner world so long as he behaves. Sound, good, uh, what's your name again?"

The hollow gave him a deadpan expression. "I never gave you a name, you loon. As bad as that uncle, brother, or even cousin of yours. Why don't you give me a name?"

"Sure." Kaien deeply thought. "Shiro?"

The hollow chucked a sand ball at Kaien's head as his answer. Kaien ducked the yellow missile.

"Okay, so no on Shiro. Okay. Let me think about it….How does…Araumi sound?"

"Araumi? Hmm. The current that drags the careless to their deaths…I like it!"

The hollow – Araumi – had that crazy grin again, and Kaien was doubting his sanity in letting the dark soul remain free in his mind.

"Alright, Araumi, we will need some ground rules. No trying to deliberately take control. No trying to get me or my friends and allies killed. And no trying to bully Ikuchi or make him disappear. Do I make myself clear?" Kaien emphasized his point with a quick jab of his zanpakuto.

"Crystal. And I have some conditions of my own. I want in on some of the action. Do you know how long it has been since I last fought? That goddamn Aaroniero should be glad he's in Hel- Ow!" Ikuchi had slithered closer to the hollow and at the stream of curse words the hollow was sure to let run free, the serpent tipped the hollow over in a heap.

"Language, Hollow." Ikuchi did retain some of Nejibana's personality. The Shinigami smiled at the memory of his zanpakuto spirit smacking him around for one too many curses during their many talks.

"Okay, I think your terms are agreeable." Suddenly, the reversed zanpakuto clattered beside Araumi. Kaien nearly toppled over himself when it appeared, his mouth opened in a great big 'o' of surprise.

"I guess young Kaien-kun trusts you enough with your weapon, Hollow."

"Sure." Why not? Although, Kaien didn't think he'd consciously did that.

"Now that we've come to an agreement, I believe that Kaien has some things to take care of." Araumi gave a crocodile grin.

The world blurred white.

Hitsugaya Toshiro looked disinterestedly at the fallen body. The ryoka put up a good fight at the beginning, but now he laid utterly defeated. Toshiro did not even have to use waste reiryoku on his more powerful attacks. He just turned away when he felt it. A weak pulse of reiatsu. Another. Then another. Then the energy surged. Hitsugaya had Hyorinmaru out to block the power enveloping the area. The white light accompanying the energy surge dimmed. In the center of it, the ryoka stood, all injuries gone.

 _My wounds_ _ **?**_ **You're welcome, Shiba-sama.** 'Araumi?' **'No shit, genius. Honestly, why did they name a spazz like you a genius, much less a fukutaicho? As a hollow, I have high speed regeneration powers. Now hurry up, stop standing there like a big ole target, and use what we've taught you!'**

Agreed, although in not so many colorful words. We have taught you what you need to know. Fight well, young Kaien.

"So, you live. You're very strong for a ryoka. But no matter. That blade of yours cannot compare to that of a true Shinigami, never mind that of a taicho."

"We'll see," piped Kaien with his signature smile. His expression grew confident. "A kid like you will need all you got."

"I am NOT a kid!" Several ice dragons struck at Kaien. Kaien watched them rush them impassively before raising the lower end of his trident. The oily liquid stream rose up.

 _/ Before parting, the serpent circled around Kaien. Kaien tilted his head in confusion as he finally saw the oil that coated the snake. Then he yelped in fear. Golden sparks lit in the small gaps in between black scales. "True names hold power. You learned the basics of your sword, but do you know the proper names of our attacks?" /_

"Smoldering Serpent!"

The golden prongs sparked with energy. The deep grey liquid caught afire and soon several streams of fire came to life and whipped around to meet the incoming ice dragons. Steam covered the area when the two impacted. Not waiting for it to clear, Kaien slashed the silver tips of his trident downward.

 _/ "Well, Shiba-sama, a word of advice. I am the darkest part of you. And I am a zanpakuto spirit of my own right, more or less. If you need my power, know it for what it is. I am not like the oily snake there. No, I am destruction, and my hatred and anger burns cold. I am like a serpent that dwells in the darkest and coldest of depths. Remember that. /_

The spray of water froze into a deadly barrage of icicles.

"Frost Bite!"

Hitsugaya's instincts saved him from most of the ice pellets. He managed to sense the rush of cold missiles and countered with a slash. But Kaien was not giving up. He rushed in after he sent the volley of ice, the golden prongs of his zanpakuto alit and the silver prongs frosted over.

 _*Clash!*_

Ice dragon met fire snake. Ice blade crashed into frozen prongs. The two men locked themselves into combat, each engagement resulting in jarred muscles, a cut here and there, and a drain of reiryoku. Frustrated, Hitsugaya turned to his most powerful move.

"Tenso Jurin!"

The storm howled. The rain froze and lashed at Kaien. He screamed in pain. **Is this all you can, Shiba-sama?** whispered Araumi. 'NO.' Kaien lifted his trident in front of him and twirled it in a circle. Fire and ice and oil streamed and mixed, creating an oil-coated steam. More and more steam billowed. The surrounding ice melted.

"You're not the only one who can control the water in the air."

Suddenly the steam rushed the young taicho. Even the ice dragons couldn't counter an entire cloud of hot air. The taicho screamed in pain as the steam left an angry red burn all along the visible parts of his body. Dropping to his knees, Hitsugaya panted. The katana dropped to his side. And where the ryoka stood, there was no one.

* * *

11\. Reunions

* * *

 _Too close. Way too close for comfort._ Ducking into another alley, Kaien stopped to catch his breath. Blood mixed with water and oil dripped along the ground. The fight with Hitsugaya was decided in the beginning. Kaien knew he really didn't have much of a chance to take on a taicho, even the youngest one. His powers may be quite a bit more than what he had as a fukutaicho, but it was barely enough against the weakest of taicho. And Hitsugaya Toshiro was definitely not that.

The shouting and stomping of Shinigami drew the attention of the rogue Shinigami back to reality. He was in no condition to pick any fights. He was about to turn and run when he saw it. An innocuous thing, a metal lid in the ground – but this lid represented Kaien's salvation for the night.

 _Ugh. Not a good idea_. **You think so? Shiba-sama, you sure know how to pick them. A sewer? This place stinks! The fumes even can reach our inner world which is just a place in your mind, I might add in!**

Better this than rain.

 **Shut it, you legless lizard.**

His zanpakuto spirit and hollow were not going to stop anytime soon. Kaien tried to tune them out. That only had a minimal effect. Barely stopping a sigh, Kaien just kept moving forward through the sewers. He had probably spent the better of two hours avoiding capture by the Shinigami. Only because of his hollow had Kaien lasted as long as he did, but the hollow could only heal so much. Araumi could seal the smaller wounds close, but he could not do much for the larger and more critical injuries, not when Kaien used so much of Araumi's power in such a short span. Blood loss already had Kaien reeling as he ran. He heard voices up ahead. His vision blurred again. More voices and footsteps. The ground rushed forward.

"Man, you look as bad as me."

Kaien jerked awake, hand going for his zanpakuto. A familiar mop of orange hair greeted the injured Shinigami.

"Ichigo?" The guy had bandages all across his torso. Looking down at himself, Kaien almost winced from the layers of bandaging on his own body.

"You awake, Shinigami?"

Peering behind the younger Shinigami, Kaien spotted Ganju a little ways away and Shinigami with the fourth division's insignia.

"What the hell did you get into? You look like Ichigo, and the guy just went toe-to-toe with a fukutaicho!"

"Shut it, Ganju," muttered Kaien. "Yo, Strawberry. If you look like that, I'd hate to think about how the rest of me looks like." Ichigo's worried frown turned into a scowl.

"I am not a damned fruit. But what the hell happened to you since we separated?"

"Hm. A lot of fighting with unranked Shinigami of the 10th division and then a face-off with said division's taicho."

"Y-Yo-You fought Hitsugaya-taicho?" The quavering voice redirected Kaien's attention back on the unknown Shinigami he saw earlier. At Kaien's curious expression, the young man gulped and rushed an introduction. "H-Hello there. My name is Yamada Hanataro, the seventh seat of the 4th division."

"4th division? And a seventh seat as that. So, how does a seated officer and most likely an accomplished healer end up in the presence of a bunch of ryoka?"

"W-well…"

"We kidnapped him."

Ichigo raised an eye at Ganju's blunt statement but did nothing to retract it. Kaien stared at them both.

"You- YOU DID WHAT?"

"Well, originally we planned to use him as hostage and threatened to kill him unless those Shinigami bastards let us go. But then they nattered on about how the 1th division hated the 4th because they were a bunch of weaklings. Shinigami can be real heartless bastards toward their own," explained Ganju with a few added epithets about the quality of Shinigami.

Kaien sweat dropped. Then he rubbed the back of his head. _Never mind. Even if I really do want to beat some sense into my baby brother and cousin... One thing at a time._ "A very recurrent problem. Rivalry between divisions, differences of ethics and perception of duty, and the like. Divisions may serve the same cause, but the Gotei 13 are vulnerable to internal conflict and interdivision resentment like any other large organization."

"I'd say."

"The 11th division does tend to bully the 4th more often than any other division," contributed Hanataro.

Kaien smiled. "Nice to meet you, Hanataro-san. I'm Saishokou Kaien. Eh, why is he still with you, if I may ask? I know you two well enough to know you wouldn't make the guy stay with you? And where did you get those injuries, Ichigo?"

"Hanataro wants to help Rukia. He offered to lead us to her. As for the wounds, I got into a fight with Abarai."

"And he won!"

"Abarai? As in Abarai Renji, fukutaicho of the 6th division?"

"Yep."

"…" A moment of silence. Then Kaien leaned toward Ichigo and bopped him on the top of his head.

"Idiot! You could have died! And then I'd be left short a cousin and a lot of explaining to do for your family on why their son died while staying with me – unless you want to make Kon your permanent replacement?"

"Hey! I _did_ win!"

"And now you look like a mummy with those bandages!"

"Well, you're the one who went up against a taicho!"

The two men glared at the other.

"How are you alive, Saishokou?" inquired Ganju with a serious expression.

"Yeah, I want to know that, too."

"I'm really lucky. Almost died at a couple points during the battle. Hitsugaya Toshiro earned his rank. And he went fairly easy on me."

"You call all those wounds easy?"

"I'm a fast healer. Plus, the guy didn't even use Bankai. I escaped before he could. All this damage comes from his Shikai nearly freezing and gutting me. Ikuchi's techniques came in handy. I'm alive, I escaped from worse injury, and I managed to find you guys. A good result, in the end. But you might want to wait before taking on a taicho, Ichigo."

"What's Bankai?" asked Ichigo.

"The second stage of your zanpakuto. Most Shinigami can seal their blades. The initial release command allows one to use Shikai, the first released state of our zanpakuto. Bankai is the next release state. For a majority of Shinigami, the second release involves at _least_ 10 years of intensive training."

"Ten years?!"

Knowing Ichigo, it probably would take less for him if he really put his mind into it.

"I heard that Urahara-san achieved it in a _lot_ shorter time span. But you shouldn't worry so much. Just avoid any and all taicho. Don't engage them unless you're about to die – and even then try to find a way to escape. At your level…you would die."

"What?!"

The two got back into round of arguing interrupted by a discrete cough from Hanataro.

"Umm, Saishokou-san? Kurosaki-san? I wanted to ask the two of you something."

"Hmm?"

"What?"

"Well, when I was examining the two of you, I found something on your bodies. I believe they are what warded off the worst of the blows against the two of you."

Hanataro held two white objects up. One was a broken white mask with the impression of teeth and three red stripes arching from the left eyehole. The other mask had a more intricate design: blue tears trailed corner of he left eyehole and flames around the right eyehole; the blue flames resembled the same markings on Metastacia's mask.

 **I** ** _was_** **a part of Metastacia. Not surprising to see an echo of him on my mask.**

'This is your doing.'

 **Couldn't let you take too much damage, Shiba-sama. Reason I can't heal you very well, too. You're welcome, by the way.**

The hollow's presence faded to the back of Kaien's mind. Kaien's silence and Ichigo's wide look had Hanataro and Ganju exchanging looks.

Ichigo took the mask and examined it. Kaien did the same. The bone mask felt cool to the touch and felt oddly smooth and soft. It felt more like skin than bone. _Creepy._ **Hey! Be grateful, human! It did save your life. You OWE me one.** The Hollow did so out of his own concern for his life, I would say. We die should you perish. **Hey!** 'Will you guys just keep this arguing to yourselves before my family notices?' The two spirits retreated back to the corner of Kaien's mind.

"So, what do you think they are, Saishokou-san?"

"Hmm. Well, nothing that important, apparently," Kaien commented as he watch Ichigo sling his mask into the water. Kaien followed suit. He faintly heard mutterings in the back of his mind and a sharp echo of a smack and accompanying yell.

"We had better take it easy for a little bit, guys."

"No way, Kaien! We have to rescue Ruki- Ow!"

"We are both covered from head to toe in bandages. Wait until either of us can move without pain, you crazy strawberry."

"I told you to stop doing that!"


	4. Part 4 - Riptide

Part 4: Riptide

* * *

A/N: Yay, I'm back. My computer screen was fixed, else I would have finished this a few days ago. Anyways, I decided to break up the story into a three-part series (or more depending on the manga). I will have only one more chapter to wrap up this book. The original story title will become the title of the series.

Oh, and I also did some summer cleanup of the past chapters. Some bits and pieces I deleted, fixed, and/or rewrote.

Thank you all for following, voting, and reviewing! Please tell me you thoughts on what I should incorporate from the anime and/or movies. I will take all ideas into consideration when I begin to build the next book.

Kaien and everyone else shall speak "within normal quotation marks"

Kaien's personal thoughts are _normal italicized words_

Kaien's direct telepathic communication along with other direct telepathy 'only has these single quotations'

Araumi's (the hollow) thought speech **is bold**

Ikuchi, his zanpakuto, thought speech is underlined 

All flash backs / _are italicized, too, with these forward slash marks. /_

* * *

12\. Confrontations

* * *

 _Why did there have to be so many stairs, again? Sure, Soul Society tended to be a bit behind the times in the overall infrastructure, but surely, some whack job loon from the 12_ _th_ _division could devise an easier way to get around the Seireitei without Shunpo?_ **Shiba-sama, you're being an idiot, quit your yammering.** I am sure Ichigo will fare well. 'He's fighting ZARAKI ZENPACHI! A captain, and I swear Zaraki's reiatsu had just spiked – he removed the seals!' **What? Don't you trust that orange idiot of a cousin?** '…'

They finally reached the top of the stairs. Kaien frowned as the reiatsu of the two combatants nearly vanish.

"The noise…it stopped. Do you think Ichigo is okay?"

"We can't turn back now. We need to have faith in Ichigo's strength," Ganju finally answered. Kaien nodded and smiled.

"Ichigo's a pretty stubborn bastard. I'm sure it'll take more than a Shinigami with a nameless zanpakuto to defeat him. I can still Ichigo's reiatsu, just very faintly."

His little brother had matured. From his belt, Ganju spun a grappling hook.

"Hanataro, Saishokou, get ready! We're heading for the tower!"

Kaien was impressed. And slightly scared. Hanataro had something as dangerous as a tranquilizer that could effectively stun low-level spirits. Idly, he wondered how his brother would fare, probably okay (he hoped). Well, the look on Ganju's face was priceless. Kaien tried to suppress his laughter.

"Quit making that face, Shinigami! I bet you wouldn't last against the kid's tranq!"

They proceeded to the white tower, the Tower of Repentance. Hanataro used the spare key he snagged last night, and the door slowly opened.

"You guys sure went through a lot for one girl. I suppose she must be something."

"No, no!"

"Definitely not the reason we came for her, Ganju-san!" denied Kaien with a straight face. He would never see adorable Rukia-chan that way!"

Ganju's playful demeanor flipped the moment he saw Rukia. He could feel a sudden wave of intense hate and grief.

"Ganju-san? Do…do you know each other?" asked the poor unaware Hanataro. Kaien placed a hand on Ganju's shoulder in an attempt to placate him. He violently shrugged it off.

"…Yeah…I do know her. Her face, I can never forget her face. She is the Shinigami who killed my brother!"

Kaien involuntarily flinched. Technically true, but Kaien kind of asked it of her unfairly. Did Rukia never tell them?

"Ganju-san, what are you talking about? Rukia-san is a sweet and kind person. She would never-!"

"Aniki's body was covered in sword wounds – one across his neck and another stab in the chest. Hollows do not use swords. AND SHE SAID IT HERSELF! She said, "I killed him!" when she dragged his brother to our house!"

Rukia's gaze was dead and lifeless. Hanataro and he tried to restrain Ganju, but Rukia's next words lit his rage: "Shiba Kaien died by my hands."

"Kaien?" Hanataro's eyes slid to Kaien, confusion etched into them. His distraction was enough for Ganju's sudden lunge to break free of the two of them.

"Ganju!"

He seized Rukia's collar. She only looked up at him.

"Go on, do it. I killed your brother. It is your right, and I will have no regrets to die by the hand of a Shiba."

"No, Ganju-san! We didn't come here for this! We're here to rescue her, aren't we?"

Kaien walked over to Ganju carefully. He rested his bare hand on his upraised forearm.

"Will you dishonor your clan, so? You made a promise to Ichigo. Will all our efforts, the sacrifices of our comrades be for naught?" Kaien met his brother's eyes. "What would your aniki want?"

Suddenly, the air trembled.

"What…?"

Kaien unsheathed his zanpakuto and turned around. "Someone's coming. Someone strong," he whispered to no one.

On the walkway strode Kuchiki Byakuya.

"AAAAaaahhh!" yelped Hanataro. The reiatsu pressed on all sides.

"Kuchiki Byakuya, taicho of the 6th division…"

Kaien swore silently. "This is a problem."

"No kidding," muttered Ganju.

"Do you two know him?"

"Know _of_ him, yeah. He's the head of the Kuchiki family, one of the four noble clans. And one of the strongest members of it. People regard him as one of the greatest of the taichos in the 13 divisions."

"And _way_ out of our leagues. My Shikai isn't enough for his, never mind if he releases his Bankai."

Despite his sweating and words, Ganju smiled as he spoke. "Saishokou's right. We have no chance of winning, even with a single Shinigami. Saishokou may have held off the 10th division taicho, but they say he's still inexperienced, especially compared to Kuchiki-sama….hah…Maybe if we beg, he might spare our lives."

"What are you saying, Ganju-san?! We should just take Rukia-san and run!"

"No chance of that," noted Kaien distantly, eyes never leaving the taicho. "There's one bridge for a reason. We would have to get past him to leave."

"We would be throwing away our lives! Do you understand what you are asking of us? Are you saying I should throw away my life for her?! The person who took the life of my aniki?! Who would give their life for someone like-?"

Kaien's zanpakuto stopped Ganju in mid-rant, the blade held to the side and inches away from his face.

"I would," he said quietly. He glanced to the side. Hanataro's eyes had a determined look.

"No, I'll stay instead! Please, Ganju-san, Saishokou-san, take her and run-away! I'll try to slow him down here…!"

Kaien's eyebrows rose as Ganju ranted. _Hanataro, I would be honored to call you my comrade…but you do not have to fight alone…_ But Hanataro only smiled sheepishly at the two.

"We came here for her,' Hanataro responded quietly. "I know I can't hold him back for long, but the two of you have a better chance to escape together. And, I can't just run away without doing my upmost to _try_ and rescue Rukia-san!"

Hanataro smiled widely and bowed. "So thank you very much! And, good-bye!"

Hold it! Kaien ran after the quickly disappearing Hanataro alongside Ganju.

"Ganju-san…Saishokou-san…"

Ganju smirked at the approaching taicho. Kaien looked toward his brother and very softly, almost too quietly for Ganju to hear, whispered, "Your brother is most definitely proud of who you've become, Ganju." Ganju didn't react more than a single momentary confused look before locking onto the taicho.

"Come on, obacchan, we'll be your opponents today!" Kaien said nothing but drew his blade and shifted it to Shikai.

"Hmph. I thought some worthy reiatsu neared the tower, but all I find are bugs."

He should have known. Ganju tensed and ran headlong at the Kuchiki-taicho. "Ganju!"

He shunpoed barely in time to deflect the lightning-fast attack, but blood spilled where his blade failed to redirect the silent attack. Not as bad as could have been, but Kuchiki proved way out of their league.

His little brother wasn't through yet.

"Didn't you hear me? Leave."

" _*Pant, pant*._ No…Blah, blah, blah, quit wasting air, obbachan. Whatever a snooty noble like you might think, only cowards would balk after suffering measly wounds like these….! And, cowards do not exist in the Shiba family!"

"And," wheezed Kaien "a proud friend such as I will not abandon my friends because of a little blood.

"The Shiba family…? Well, if you are from that family, then I am sorry not to give you your due. Neither of you will leave this place alive."

 _He's going to-_

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

"Shit! Stir, the heavens above and the seas below, Ikuchi! Fiery Mist!"

The same oily steam he used against Hitsugaya lit aflame with the addition of a second shot of fire.

It was not enough. Only a small proportion of cherry blossom blades burned. Most flew straight through his guard. Kaien tumbled to his knees and gasped, but not from the pain. Ganju had leaped in front of him after the initial bursts of flame and took the brunt of Senbonzakura's near invincible assault.

Kuchiki readied to strike them once more. A pale sickly hand stopped him. Kaien knelt frozen. Familiar white hair and pale complexion, kind smile… "Ukitake-taicho…"

"Hoho, that was quite scary…but I think that's enough, would you not agree, Kuchiki-taicho?"

"Ukitake-taicho!" Rukia was completely caught off-guard by the appearance of the elderly white-haired taicho who casually held off Kuchiki's attack.

"Kuchiki-san! How have you been? You've lost weight."

"What is the meaning of this Ukitake?" coldly asked the 6th division taicho.

"You should not release your zanpakuto here. That is a first class offense – even if against ryoka."

"You've been too aloof from past events. The ban has been lifted for a war time situation."

"What? A few ryoka should not prompt such a situation! Is it because of the murder of Aizen…?"

Murder? From what Kaien knew, Aizen would not fall so easily. **Must be his zanpakuto.** An illusion. 'Agreed.'

Kaien used his trident to prop himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the staff. Ukitake-taicho noticed the movement. His eyes went wide in recognition. _Damn it, I still look too much like my past self._ Suddenly, the reiatsu around them rose with the power of another taicho. Kaien smiled grimly at the familiar power. From the sky, a certain orange head _flew_ in on the bridge.

"Yo, Strawberry, you don't look so good, to be talking so big," cheerfully shouted Kaien. Ichigo just had to challenge not one, but _two_ taichos. And then go and argue with Rukia while he was at it!

"Shut it, baka Kaien! You can barely stand, yourself."

"Kaien…?" Kaien tried not to react. He _really_ didn't want to face his former taicho, especially under these circumstances. The 13th taicho also widened his eyes at the appearance of Ichigo. _Are we that alike? Ah, I hope he doesn't ask._

Ichigo clashed blades with Kuchiki-taicho. Kaien wanted to tear his hair at the cocky grin his cousin sported. _Suicidal dumbass!_

An orange blur halted Kuchiki's release. "Yoruichi…"

She barely spared Ichigo any time to comment on her appearance. Yoruichi-san struck. Kaien sighed. "Idiot."

"You're not much different from your _cousin_ , Saishokou-san." Ah, previous theory thrown out. She did know.

Kaien rubbed the back of his head with an unsteady hand. "Haha, I can't dispute that. Hotheadedness and foolishness much run in the family."

"Think you can keep up?"

"Do you think I would stand aside and let the two of you escape?" Kaien straightened to his feet, swallowing one of Hanataro's pills. "Senpai, ryoka, you will not escape so freely.

Yoruichi-san barely spared Kuchiki any more than a smirk over her shoulder.

"Big talk, Byakuya. You haven't ever beat me at tag, not even once. Even Saishokou should be able to handle that much."

"Shall we see?" All three figures blurred with speed. Kaien remembered his past months of lesson with Kagami. One technique he took to heart was shadowing shunpo. If he had enough skill, he could temporarily borrow the speed of someone dashing in front of him using the trailing reiatsu. But it required a ton of finesse and a decent level of speed on its own. Byakuya seemed to catch them initially, but in the end, the three fugitives disappeared.

 _Three days to master Bankai?_

They arrived at some safe house, and Kaien barely took one more step before he collapsed.

Yoruichi glanced at him once, but only said, "You've grown Kaien, since I last saw you. But you still have some more growing to do. Rest for a bit. Training will begin soon."

Yoruichi chose to force the two into reaching Bankai using Urahara-san's very dangerous method: dolls. Both Ichigo and he were at materialization potential, and the dolls would facilitate the process with Yoruichi's reiryoku supplying the power to maintain them.

Before Ichigo, the tall and imposing form of Zangetsu (although Kaien had his doubts since he thought he felt the Shinigami power being diverted rather than channeled) stood. Swords scattered across the secret underground training facility.

"You may want to pay attention, Kaien-san." Ikuchi's sightless gaze focused on him. The serpent slithered across the rocky terrain as if it was water. Kaien blinked but obediently followed after. They traveled a fair distance away from Ichigo and Yoruichi-san.

"Here." Abruptly, Ikuchi's form blurred. Kaien blanched. Metastacia in the appearance of Shiba Kaien with Nejibana stood in front of him. He pointed the trident at him.

"If you want me to submit, then prove you have learned your lesson. Conquer your past, your fear, and guilt, and you will defeat me!" Water flooded the surrounding terrain. Kaien brought up his zanpakuto.

"Shikai."

* * *

13\. The Execution Draws Near

* * *

Just as Kaien brought us Ikuchi's prongs for another attack, Metastacia popped back into doll state.

"Enough," he heard Yoruichi call. "Day one is over."

Kaien relaxed next to Ichigo. Kaien could feel the energy from the hot waters mending his scattered wounds from today the previous days, easing aching bones and throbbing scratches. And it just dawned to Ichigo, his lovable cousin.

"Whoa! Kaien are you seeing this! The hot spring is causing our wounds to heal super-fast!"

Kaien chuckled a bit. "Yo, Strawberry, I get it. Just relaxed, and let the hot spring do its thing. Hey, don't swallow the water!"

"Enjoying it, boys?"

Ichigo spurted hot water into Kaien's face. *Face-fault*… "Ichigo…" growled Kaien.

"Hahaha, don't mind me boys. I think I might take a dip with you."

Whatever threat died on Kaien's lips, and his face burned. Ichigo sported an equally crimson expression. But, their concern was unwarranted as cat Yoruichi swam into the water.

"Disappointed, boys?" Both sputtered denials.

Ichigo noted the similarity of the room to the room beneath the Urahara's Shouten. She revealed how Urahara-san's training room was based on this one, the one he built in his youth.

"Wow," exclaimed Kaien. "How did he construct such a huge underground room undetected?" Ichigo had his doubts as well.

"Urahara always did have an affinity for doing things over the top when they were secret. This was a place where we played every day in our youth. Then, he joined the Gotei 13, and I the Special Ops Brigade."

"Wait, wait…He was a Shinigami?" exclaimed a completely dumfounded Ichigo. "Is that how he recognized Kaien's previous name?" Ichigo turned to an amused Kaien and pointed his finger.

"How come you didn't tell me this before?!"

Kaien blinked. "Was it that important? I, mean, he does have a zanpakuto, extraordinary knowledge of Soul Society and the Gotei 13, and so on. Actually, Shihoin-san and Urahara-san were both taichos a century ago."

"YOU'RE A TAICHO?!"

Yoruichi stayed silent for a moment, analyzing the two of them. "Yes, he didn't tell you? Typical Urahara. He was the former taicho of the 12th division and founder and president of the research institute of technology of the Gotei 13. At the time, Shiba Kaien was a ranked Shinigami, not yet a fukutaicho."

"… this idiot was a fukutaicho?!"

"Err, didn't I tell you that?" _Crap, I didn't._ Kaien rubbed his head sheepishly. "Uhh…what a night for revelations, huh Strawberry?"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, BAKA KAIEN, I AM NOT A DAMN FRUIT!" Same old, Ichigo.

 _*Clash, clash!*_

Kaien grinned through the pain jarring his arms. During the first day, he had barely managed to block the tide of blows and whiplash of wind and water. Suddenly, the form in front of him shifted. In its place…Miyako.

"Kaien, how could you? You couldn't even save me!"

Kaien's jets of water went wide, missing her figure entirely. He stepped back. Her face went feral, and she sent barrels of water at him. He slammed into the nearest rocky surface.

"Careless, Kaien. You must trust your instincts and let them guide you. Your surprise caught you off-guard! Fight!" It shifted back into Kaien, Nejibana slashing down on him.

Kaien steeled his expression. He launched a storm of Frost Bite in response. Ice met waves in an explosive clash. Kaien followed after, locking tridents with his zanpakuto spirit turned Metastacia. He threw out a hand and called out: "#31, Shakkaho!" A large ball of fire abruptly slammed into Metastacia Kaien. He came at him with everything he had. He funneled all his grief, his anguish, his guilt and anger into his strikes.

Metastacia grinned maniacally. "One last dance, Kaien?" Water surged around Nejibana. Kaien readied his own weapon. Fire and water and steam poured from the double-ended trident.

Light flared to encase the entire training room. Even Ichigo and Zangetsu stopped for a moment to acknowledge the clash of two powerful entities.

Kaien emerged from the smoke, Ikuchi loosely at his side.

Yoruichi peered over to him. "Well?"

Kaien smirked. "Well, I would say my work is far from done, but I achieved it." He glanced over to the still sparring forms of Ichigo and Zangetsu. "How's Ichigo?"

"There's growth, but we only have one more day after this."

Something crashed through the ceiling of the training room. Kaien had the golden blades trained on the source of the disturbance.

"…So, this is why you guys are in here. That the true form of your zanpakuto, Ichigo? Bankai training, huh? Sounds fun. Mind, if I join you?"

The dust cleared to reveal the grinning form of Abarai Renji, the fukutaicho Ichigo had previously fought.

Ichigo was just as surprised as his cousin. "Renji…!"

"I bet you're all wondering "why is he here?" Well, my reasons are simple: I need a place to train since time is short."

"Time is short?" Kaien didn't like the sound of that. Abarai had a solemn look in his eyes.

"Rukia's execution was moved again. It's set to take place noon tomorrow."

"At my level, I won't be able to save Rukia, so I need to train. Don't worry, I won't get in your way. I reached the point of materialization, and I think Bankai is just within my reach. So, I will train right here, okay?"

Neither of the senior Shinigami knew what to do.

"Noon tomorrow…that's not enough time to reach Bankai at this rate…!"

"That's no good, Yoruichi…You're the one to suggest this training method, so you shouldn't give up so easily…! If Kaien can do it, Renji there think he can do it, then so can I."

"But, Ichigo, what if you can't reach Bankai in time by tomorrow…!" A hand rested on Yoruichi's shoulder. Kaien smiled brightly.

"Don't worry so much, Shihoin-sama. Take a look at Ichigo's eyes. They burn with determination."

Ichigo nodded his head. Kaien gave him a thumbs-up. "The baka is right. We can't worry about the 'what-ifs'. The deadline have move up, so what? It doesn't change anything except I need to finish this before noon tomorrow."

Kaien shot Renji a small smirk. "Don't worry about our drama. You better train hard, Abarai. Else, you won't catch up to me." Kaien shunpoed to a secluded area of the room and began to train with his Bankai.

"Well, I guess I'm off!" Abarai Renji walked over to where Kaien still trained. Renji glanced back at the dueling Ichigo and Zangetsu. "Do you really think at this point he'll achieve Bankai?"

"Who knows?" flippantly responded Yoruichi.

Kaien and Abarai sweat dropped. "Not reassuring, Yoruichi-san." Abarai turned to Kaien.

"You sure you're fine waiting for Ichigo, Saishokou?"

"Yeah, I still need to refine my Bankai a bit. It's a bit dangerous, kind of similar to Hitsugaya-taicho's Shikai. I do not want to lose control of it at the wrong moment, especially with so many captains gathered there. Don't worry too much about Ichigo. I'm sure he will achieve Bankai in time for the execution."

"Alright, if you say so," agreed the reluctant Renji. The younger fukutaicho sped off in the direction of the execution stand.

"Yo, Strawberry," called Kaien. "Hurry up, will you? We can't keep the shrimp waiting forever!"

Yoruichi-san's flying cape certainly helped them make an entrance. Kaien still kept a good iron grip on Ichigo since he was the one to insist on wearing the actual cape. Kaien felt his heart tremble a bit in awe of the tremendous power given off by the Soukyoku, Kikou. The great firebird was held back just by Ichigo blade. Kaien grinned at the stunned Rukia.

"Yo," both men greeted. Rukia stared for a moment before cutting into them.

"You idiots! Why did you two return for me?! I told you, you cannot win against my brother! You'll get yourselves killed!"

"Uh…" Ichigo and Kaien exchanged startled looks. _Women, they really don't make much sense…_ Suddenly, Kikou backed off a fair distance.

"Hmm."

"Looks like it's coming back for a second charge."

"You think, Strawberry?"

"Shut it, baka Kaien."

Kaien let go of Ichigo, focusing on gathering Reishi at his feet. He twisted his katana to the side.

"Stir, the heavens above and the seas below, Ikuchi." His double-pronged trident stood at the ready.

Kaien and Ichigo brought their blades to bear as Kikou charged. Rukia screamed. Something suddenly shot out from below and pulled the firebird back. Kaien halted and gawked.

"Ukitake-taicho?!"

His former taicho had arrived to the execution platform and brought out a huge shield with the Shihoin family crest. Kikou burst apart. Kaien and Ichigo wasted no time and landed on the execution stand.

"Ichigo, Kaien, what are you doing?!"

"What do you think? I am going to dismantle this rack."

"Sounds like a good idea," joked Kaien. Rukia started. Kaien tried not to drop his grin. _I really need to sit down and have a long talk with Rukia. Apparently, changing my overall coloration and facial shape a bit, isn't enough if people can recognize my expressions._

"You should not waste your energy! The Soukyoku stand cannot-"

"Be quiet!" snapped Ichigo.

"Uh-huh. We made it this far, just let us deal with the stand, short stack." Rukia glared at the nickname.

Ichigo and Kaien both lifted their blades and stabbed down. The stand shattered.

The short stack was still not happy with them. Her eyes held no fire, no hope.

"Ichigo… Kaien… What have you planned? How do you suppose you can escape at least four taichos and their fukutaicho? Never mind the soutaicho. It's hopeless…"

"We run," simply stated Ichigo. Kaien slapped the back of Ichigo's head.

"THAT'S YOUR PLAN? I think there's a bit more in between, Ichigo. First, we might want to deal with the number of enemies. Beating all of them are definitely stacked odds. But, then again, our whole journey to this point kind of was that, wasn't it?"

"Okay."

"OKAY?! Kaien, there's no way the two of you can beat them all!"

Ichigo countered, "Two? No. We're not the only ones here for you. Inoue, Ishida, Chad, we all came for you. Even Ganju and Hanataro. They all lent us a hand, and we'll get everyone out of here."

Groaning from afar drew the three's eyes toward the outskirts of the execution platform.

"Renji! 'Bout time you got here!"

"Renji?!" yelled Rukia.

"Rukia!"

As Rukia began to talk to the 6th division fukutaicho, Ichigo began to have that look on his face. Kaien shook his head in resignation as Ichigo lifted Rukia up.

"Huh? Ichigo… What are you doing?! Kaien!" The bluenette shrugged helplessly while Ichigo tossed Rukia to the flummoxed fukutaicho below.

"ICHIGOOOOOooooo!"

"CATCH, RENJI!"

 _Well…. Rukia didn't die. Maybe a bit more bruised._ **I like your cousin. '** Quiet, you.'

Kaien closed his eyes and ruminated on why everyone in his family could be such idiots. Including himself. He breathed out and turned to Rukia and Renji.

"-Don't let go of her, even if you die!"

"Listen to Ichigo and go! Your part is to get as much distance as possible. Ichigo and I will hold them off. Run!"

Abarai heeded their words and dashed away. Three of the fukutaicho below attempted to pursue them, but the two spiky-haired Shinigami knocked them out without a single thrust of a blade. Just as Ichigo finished off Sasakibe Chojiro when a familiar figure cut in.

"Ttch, like I said before, I can see your every step, Kuchiki Byakuya!"

"Why…? Why would the two of you put such effort to same someone you knew for only a few scant months?"

"If anyone should be asking questions, if should be us! Aren't you her older brother? Why do you do nothing to save her?"

Byakuya scoffed. "There's no point in answering such a question. Even if I did, I doubt either of you would understand the duty of a noble. Enough talk. Let us fight."

Immense reiatsu surged from the two combatants. Ichigo and Kaien exchanged a glance and the latter nodded in understanding. This was Ichigo's fight.

Over by the taichos, Soi Fong disappeared in pursuit of Rukia and Renji, but the faint Reiatsu in the same direction reassured the former 13th fukutaicho. He turned back to watch as the taichos of the 1st, 8th, and 13th divisions shunpo off. Kaien made his decision. He chased after them a good distance behind Nanao, fukutaicho of the 8th division.

Kaien arrived in time to witness Nanao to fall, only to be caught by Kyoraku-taicho. The reiatsu from the soutaicho was suffocating. But Kaien held strong.

The soutaicho's eyes darted off to where Kaien stood. "Little one, you seem a little better than the other child. But, this is no place for you. Strange, though, your reiryoku remind me of another young man."

Kaien spared the old man a cheeky grin. "I came here and fought against the whole of the Gotei 13 for Rukia. I don't think I will turn back now."

"Hmph. Who are you, foolish child?"

"Saishokou, Saishokou Kaien."

"Oh," asked Yamamoto-taicho with amusement. "Interesting… You even bear the same man as that one along with a trace of his reiatsu signature and appearance."

"Must be a coincidence. Ichigo looks pretty similar, too."

Yamamoto-taicho looked unconvinced but turned his attention to the two belligerent taichos.

"The two of you were the best and brightest of your generations. Shunsui with his weakness for girls but keen judgement of a person's character and Jushiro with his frail body but larger heart, the two of you in battle formed an unrivaled pair. You two became the first captains to rise from my academy. I was proud of the two of you, as if you were my sons. No matter how different your characters, I thought the two of you would do well on the same paths you took… And how wrong I was to think that!"

The soutaicho drew his blade.

"Run, ryoku, for this is not a battle you can face."

Kaien answered by drawing his own blade alongside the two taichos.

"Stir, the heavens above and the seas below, Ikuchi!" Kaien held off, though, knowing not to get in the way of the three taicho in this first strike.

The soutaicho was not pleased with the two men.

"Draw your blades as the child has, or none of you will survive this! Reduce all creation to ash, Ryujin Jakka."

Fire devoured the surroundings in red-hot fury. After a brief conversation, the two taicho released their blades.

"All waves, rise now and become my shield, lightning strike now and become my blade. Sougyo no Kotowari."

"Flower wind rage and flower god roar, heavenly wind rage and heavenly demon sneer. Katen Kyokotsu."

"Kid, you really should have run," commented the 8th taicho.

The bluenette only smiled. "Nah...Besides, I have a policy not to run away just because it gets tough. A man's pride means more than one's life, especially with another's life on the line. Plus, if wouldn't sit well to let such a seedy old man and sickly one fight alone. Don't you agree, Ukitake-taicho?"

The white-haired Shinigami looked intently at Kaien. The soutaicho's voice called for their attention.

"I do remember another promising man from the recent generation. He passed through my school in only two years and became a fukutaicho but five scant years after. He died recently. Yet, you who stand before me may as well be his ghost."

"Not a ghost." Kaien held the trident sideway in his two hands. "Something like that, maybe. Bankai."

Silver and gold light burst from the two ends and wrapped about the Shinigami. Water crashed around him. The reincarnated Shinigami stood steadfast. His shihakusho was replaced by a long black coat with twined gold and silver dragons facing away below the high collar. In his right hand, a jumonji yari of four feet was held. The design of the spear strongly resembled Nejibana with a twisted end and a light blue cloth flowing from the spear point and the two side protrusions. In his left hand, a dragon made of water wrapped around the arm and bore a second blade the length of his forearm and forged of ice.

"Tsuito no Ryu." The water dragon tossed its head and swiped at the invading flames, actually dousing some of them.

Ukitake paled. The connotations of his strongly familiar looking spear were probably staggering. The former Shiba shot a sheepish grin.

"Uhh… I'll explain if we survive this, okay, Ukitake-taicho?" The stunned taicho nodded.

"A pair of blades at Bankai release," noted Kyoraku-taicho. "Very nice, Saishokou-san."

Even the soutaicho was somewhat moved. "Hmmph. So, another dual-blade appears. A water-type strong enough to try and challenge Ryujin Jakka's flames. Well, I guess I will see how you measure up to your predecessors in combat. Are you ready, children?"

Kaien sent the soutaicho a confident smirk. "Dancing Dragon." The water dragon swelled and extended out from his arm, charging straight for the soutaicho. The four Shinigami surged forward in a clash of blades.

* * *

14\. Betrayal

* * *

The voice of Kotetsu Isane echoed through Kaien's mind. The four Shinigami ceased fighting.

'Taichos, fukutaichos, temporary fukutaichos of the Gotei 13 and ryoka…this is Kotetsu Isane, fukutaicho of the 4th division. You must stop fighting for the moment and listen. An emergency situation has occurred, Unohna Retsu-taicho has approved an emergency transmission under her authority and that of myself. What I reveal is all true concerning the status of Aizen Sousuke-taicho…'

"How…? How did Aizen…?"

Ukitake was devastated. Kaien looked about grimly. Hearing the story from Kagami was not the same as having the evidence of the traitor confirmed so thoroughly.

"So…what should we do old man Yamamoto? We can't exactly continue under these circumstances."

The soutaicho was eyeing Kaien now. "Hmm…why do I think you, child, know a bit more about this than us? I suppose it doesn't matter now. If you indeed fight on the behalf of your friends then we are united in this instance."

Kaien nodded. "If the Central 46 was murdered a while ago then Aizen was issuing the orders to execute Rukia. It would explain why they kept moving the date forward so abruptly for a single unseated Shinigami. Aizen wants Rukia dead for some reason."

Ukitake's eyes hardened. Kaien sighed. _Kagami might kill him for this but…_

"You're right, soutaicho, about me knowing a bit more than anyone here. I've had…a rather special instructor warn me about things to come. I would recommend no one directly confront Aizen without an absolute confirmation of what they're fighting. Because, nothing may be what it appears to be. Aizen's zanpakuto can cast full proof illusions and hypnosis active the moment he unleashed Shikai. No one who has seen his Shikai even once can escape it."

"Very troublesome information, ryoka. I will like to know the source of your information afterwards."

"Of course, soutaicho."

"But, we have a traitor to death with."

The four Shinigami headed toward where Rukia's reiatsu rushed in fear.

The taichos, fukutaichos, and others surrounded the traitors.

"Aizen…"

"Aizen-taicho…!"

Yoruichi-san tightened her hand on her blade. "It's over."

"You have nowhere to go," stated Kaien.

The traitor smiled at him. "Oh? I thought Metastacia finished you off, Shiba-fukutaicho. You seem different. But I can tell it's still you. Although, I don't think you came out of that encounter unscathed."

The reincarnated Shinigami tensed as soon as Aizen identified him. The bastard just had to be _that_ good of a sensor. Not only that, but Aizen could detect his carefully concealed Hollow powers. The surrounding Shinigami stirred at the revelation, but their eyes remained glued to the traitor. An uneasy feeling spread throughout his body. _What is he planning-?!_ The world seemed to shake. A beam of light shot toward the traitor, forcing the two women away. Kaien's gaze darted above. **Damned Menos Grande! Interrupting us just when things were getting good!** He cursed mentally alongside his ranting Hollow. The Shinigami could do nothing against Gillian and the immense power hiding behind them.

"Stop!" warned the soutaicho. "Nothing more can be done. The beam of light is the Negacion the Gillian can employ to rescue their fellows. All space caught in the light becomes part of a separate dimension. They are lost to us."

He watched helplessly as the Negacion drew the three traitors away. Kaien drew toward his former taicho's side as the man questioned the motives of the ultimate traitor.

"How far have you fallen, Aizen, for your ambitions?"

Aizen didn't outwardly react to his words. "You are very arrogant, Ukitake. None of us, not you, not me, nor the soutaicho begins at the top of the world. Not even the gods can claim the highest power at their inception. I no longer have to wait and look up at the emptiness of the throne in the sky anymore. From now on, I will sit on that seat."

Aizen turned away from his audience. "Good bye, Shinigami, Soul Society, and you as well, young ryokas. You two are rather interesting humans."

Kaien gnashed his teeth in silence. _Someday, Aizen, I will make you pay for the sorrows and shadows you've cast over Soul Society and the Human World. You will not win!_ Maybe not today, but there remained another day so long as a man still breathed. For now, Soul Society needed to prepare and tend to its wounded. The war has yet to begin.


	5. Part 5 - Ebb Tide

Part 5: Ebb Tide

* * *

A/N: (6/20/2016) I dedicate this chapter to those who passed after the Pulse club shooting last week. As a fellow Floridian, I mourn the senseless loss of lives. Life should not be dictated by the words or actions of a few. While many people would disparage those patrons for their lifestyle choice, I stand firm in the belief that people should live their lives with the same opportunity of happiness as any other sentient lifeform. May whatever deity watch over the dearly departed and those left behind in the wake of their deaths. Pace in requiem – rest in peace.

Thanks to all reviewers, followers, and voters. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the next book in the series. Should I include non-canon arcs or not? If so, what? How about chapters based on the movies? It'll be a while before I get the next book ready for posting, so comment and/or pm me. I love to hear from all readers. Hope this meets expectations. Ichigo's new hollow form is awesome, no? Unfortunately, no real zanpakuto until he confronts his true lineage.

Oh, I'm going to play with the time before the substitute Shinigamis' official meeting with a member of the Visored. Kagami-sensei demands more time in the story. The meeting though, will be postponed to the next book. Stay tuned to see how it goes~.

Normal speech "within double quotation marks"

Kaien's personal thoughts are _italicized_

Direct telepathic communications have 'these single quotations'

Araumi's (the hollow) thought speech **is bold**

Ikuchi, his zanpakuto, thought speech is underlined 

All flash backs / _are italicized, too, with these forward slash marks. /_

Hollowified speech shall be **"bold and have double quotation marks"**

* * *

15\. Revelations

* * *

Kaien paced nervously. As promised, he told the soutaicho basically the most pertinent details of his current situation such as his reincarnation, time travel, and mission. He even explained some of the details about Aizen's schemes such as the incident 100 years ago, his own death, and the subsequent fall of his clan's prestige shortly after. On the topic of Ichigo… Kaien was adamant about not saying a word. Or about the Arrancar and Visored during those 100 years of exile. Nope. _Not even if Jiji tries to burn me with his no nonsense gaze. *shudder*_.

Yamamoto-soutaicho finally released him after saying as far as the Gotei 13 is concerned, Shiba Kaien is dead. He was a form of reincarnate, after all. A too nosy, meddlesome brat of one, but a basically recycled soul. If he wanted to reveal his previous identity, it would be to Kaien's discretion. The soutaicho offered Kaien the opportunity to reenter the Gotei 13 ranks since he did have a decent enough blade. Kaien disinclined the formal invitation, content as occupying the same position as Ichigo.

All in all, that meeting could have ended much worse. The former fukutaicho ran a hand through his blue and red streaked hair. As usual, nothing would flatten his spiky hairdo short of a downpour. He stood in front of the 13 division barracks. Behind those doors would be all the too familiar faces from his past life. He took a deep breath and entered.

"Saishokou-san!" There was Ukitake-taicho and Kyoraku-taicho sitting down for their fateful meeting.

"Maaa, the kid does have an eerie resemblance to a certain fukutaicho, doesn't he? I didn't really notice as much back with old man Yamamoto."

"So," began Ukitake as they all sat down for tea, "what is it you wished to discuss, Saishokou-san?"

Kaien took a sip of the green tea and composed himself. "Well, to start with, I don't just resemble my namesake like Ichigo. My name now is Saishokou Kaien, but in my previous…incarnation, for lack of a better term, my name was Shiba Kaien."

Both taicho widened their eyes and exchanged a look.

Kyoraku-taicho was the first to recover from his surprise. "Man, this sounds like you have an interesting story here, Saishokou-san."

"Indeed, please continue."

Kaien told them about the same information as he did for the soutaicho. Neither taicho seem to doubt him. They ask for clarification here and there, but listened intently for the most part. Kaien finished his tale at the moment he and Ichigo confronted the taichos on the Sougyo Hill. Both seemed deep in thought.

"Amazing, I don't think I've ever heard anyone who reincarnated with their memories intact, much less time travel backwards.

"Quite. I bet Kurotsuchi-taicho would want to look at you."

"Not even if Kagami-sensei ordered me. That taicho scares me! He might just turn me into his next science experiment. I think I rather help Ichigo escape Zaraki-taicho than meet with him all the same."

The 13th and 8th taichos laughed. "If you're sure," chuckled Kyoraku-taicho. "Do you plan on telling anyone else about your secret? And what are you going to do if you aren't rejoining the Gotei 13?"

"Rukia-chan for one. My family? I think I will go and visit them afterwards. The others? Maybe over time when I get to know more of the Shinigami a bit better as Saishokou. I plan to stay in the human world. Ichigo has grown a lot, but he needs to get stronger if he wants to face down Aizen someday. At it is, neither of us have a tenth of the strength to stand against him, I think."

"If that is your wish Kaien-san, then I will honor it. It is good to see again, even if you are both you and not you." Same old Ukitake-taicho. Kaien smiled gently at the sickly taicho. He stayed for a while longer, sharing a small drink of sake before departing. From what he could hear, Ichigo and the gang couldn't find Rukia. Kaien had a pretty good idea where the short stack went. He waved Ichigo over and both hybrid Shinigami and Inoue-san headed over to the Shiba House.

* * *

16\. The Lost Brother

* * *

They arrived in time to see oneechan wallop Rukia's face. Kaien sweat dropped a little. His little sister sure could be forceful in her reminders.

"Ichigo…Inoue…Kaien."

"Hey, short stack!" greeted Kaien. "We came over to find you!" After Rukia announced her decision to stay in Soul Society, Kaien asked her, Kukaku, and Ganju to have a private talk. Kukaku and he shared a long look.

"I am the reincarnation of Shiba Kaien," he simply stated. Ganju and Rukia froze. But Kukaku only leaned over and…* _Thwack!*_ Kaien clutched his head in pain.

"Oww! Why'd you do that for?"

"That's for acting all stiff and formal, aniki. Like I told Rukia, I already know. Yoruichi-san explained the morning before you guys left. Kind of too perfect for someone to look so much like my aniki, talk like him, and to have his same name and exist without somehow being related to him. Either that, or you were some no-good trickster, but I think not. No one can act that idiotic and serious."

"Hey!"

Kukaku yanked him over for a hug. Kaien could feel the trickle of tears staining his shirt. Ganju joined in. The short stack finally broke free of her reverie with a great sob.

Kaien reached over with his free hand and pulled her over into the hug.

"Come, on Kuchiki! Don't be such a rock and join in!" He mussed up her hair. "I am really proud of you. You gathered the courage to stop me when the time came. No more tears after this, okay?" Rukia sobbed harder.

That night, all of the Shiba family, the friends from Karakura Town, and Rukia celebrated their friends' last night in Soul Society. Kaien ended up explaining his story to everyone else in the gang. He took his sister aside and explained a few details he left out, like the whole Hollow deal, and the future catastrophes waiting in the wings. When Kukaku gave him her signature stare, Kaien caved and explained what happened to their errant Uncle Isshin. She didn't look at all surprised.

"The crazy idiot was always a softie. All Shiba men are. They are also very loyal. It's good to know Uncle Isshin is doing well and that we can welcome three new members of our family when the time comes for no more secrets."

"You're taking this better than I thought you would."

"Oh no. I'm still pounding some sense into the idiot if he shows up. Making us worry, the brat."

"Uncle Isshin is older than me!"

"He doesn't act better most of the time!"

Kaien held his hands up in surrender, wary of being beaten up by his younger sister (again).

* * *

17\. Return Home

* * *

"So off we go!" cheered Kaien.

Everyone was a bit sad about Rukia's decision to stay longer in Soul Society but respected her decision.

Just before they left, Ukitake-taicho handed the two Shinigami a pentagon-shaped object with a skull drawn on it: the official substitute Shinigami pass. Kaien smiled and thanked the taicho. _I honestly never heard of a substitute Shinigami or a pass for such a thing. Oh, well. I think Ichigo agrees with me, but we'll let it pass. We can trust Ukitake-taicho's intentions._

The two Shinigami and three humans ran through the official gate since neither hybrid had official control over the hell butterflies. They crossed the exit…and fell. Idiotic 12th Division members set the gate in the sky! Luckily, Urahara-san and Tsukabishi-san caught them.

"Urahara-san…" both Shinigami said.

"Kurosaki-san, Saishokou-san, welcome back. You… you heard about what I did, didn't you?"

The atmosphere visibly tensed with emotions. "Yeah."

Urahara-san did something Kaien though the eccentric would never do. He apologized. He genuinely apologized for his actions. Neither Ichigo nor Kaien held Urahara-san's actions against him, though. Ichigo still had one question.

"Did you hold back the truth in fear of making me running off if I learned the truth?"

… "You're right!~"

 _*Smack! Pound!*_ Ichigo elbowed the former taicho, and Kaien bopped him with one of his chains. _Idiot!_

"That's what I thought," muttered Ichigo.

Each member of their party was dropped off at their respective houses. Kaien waved heartily at Ichigo's departure before Urahara-san headed over to his house. He opened the door to the little home and… A flying kick greet him.

"YOU IDIOT! MY SOURCES SAY YOU FOUGHT A TAICHO! WHY DID YOU PULL SOMETHING STUPID LIKE THAT? YOU BETTER NOT HAVE TRIED FIGHTING THE SOUTAICHO, TOO! Wait, YOU FREAKING DID?! I'M MAKING YOU TRAIN FIVE HOURS EACH AND EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS!

Kaien grinned through the rant. "Miss you, too, Kagami." Kagami huffed with his gigai before holding up the signature panda plushy.

"Might as well put the badge to good use," he grumbled. Kaien took a hint and pushed out the gikon, reinserting him into the panda.

"Before you try to apologize, because I know you will, I know. You told a bunch of people didn't you?"

"Yeah, Yamamoto-soutaicho, Ukitake-taicho, Kyoraku-taicho, my friends, and my family."

"Thought so," hummed the Panda. _*Thwap*._ Kaien clutched his head in pain. _Where the hell did the panda bear get that umbrella?_ "Next time, warn a guy if you have even the slightest idea of letting the cat out of the bag so badly. If you go blabbing secrets out without consulting with me about the possibility, I'll use Kido as punishment!" Kaien shuddered. Kagami could be brutal with his creative uses of Kido.

 _Home sweet home. I'm back, Karakura Town._

The next morning, Kagami yelled at Kaien to go fetch Ichigo for training sessions. Starting the beginning of the new school semester, the two hybrids were going through training hell to prepare for the fight against Aizen.

"Drag the whiny brat if you have to, but training will be mandatory for both of you! I can't have Mortus-sama disappointed in me! In the next 48 hours, I _will_ have the two of you both able to summon the powers of a Visored at will if it kills you, Kaien-niisan!"

The reincarnate gaped at the little boy. The gikon had never called him older brother without there being an audience of some sort.

"What are you? A fish?" A shoe came flying at the substitute Shinigami. "Scat! Unless you _want_ to miss school, Mr. Genius. Oh, and be on the lookout for exiles. I heard after the stunt with Aizen, they'll be coming out of the woodwork. Maybe you'll see one today~."

 _Exiles?_ Oh, the exiled taichos and fukutaichos from 100 years ago.

"HOLLOW! _*whistle, beep*_ HOLLOW!"

Kaien nearly tossed his hollow detector/official pass out the window. Talk about annoying and unsubtle, even if only those with significant reiatsu can even see it, much less hear it. Ichigo and Kaien hightailed it out. Luckily, if was just one measly small-timer. Their friends showed up just as Ichigo sliced it in half.

"Awww, see, you anti-social deathberry, our friends really do care~"

"Let go baka Kaien!"

Kaien noted the missing Ishida. Kagami already filled him in on the status of his friends. Ishida should be back up to speed eventually, but not before almost dying several times. He watched his friend and cousin idly chat, not even looking up at their observer. _Maybe? More like definitely. I wish my memories were a little clearer._ True, his more recent memories were crystal clear, but one tends to forget a lot in the last century. The reincarnation-thing didn't impart to him a perfect memory, and the process frazzled some of oldest and least important-seeming recollections. For example, he could recognize the reiatsu as familiar, but couldn't put a name or face to it.

"Hirako Shinji!" declared the blonde boy with a bowl-shaped cut.

"Hirako Shinji!" declared the blonde boy with a bowl-shaped cut. "Do you like it? I'm really good at doing things in reverse."

He was definitely one of the exiles by the ring of familiarity and danger ringing through his instincts. **Better keep an eye out for him, Shiba-sama.** My associate is right. You may have the same end goals, but you're methods may differ drastically. 'Thanks. I think I'll handle it.'

Hirako took the empty seat on Ichigo's right.

"I'll be sitting right here from now on, okay?" Hirako addressed to Ichigo and Kaien who sat behind the strawberry.

"Let's become great friends, Kurosaki-kun, Saishokou-kun." _And he knows our names. Wonder if Ichigo caught that?_

"Huh?" _We need to work on your skills of observation._ "O-oh… Nice to meet you, too…"

Kaien grinned widely at the exiled. "Don't be shy, Ichigo. Hi! Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hirako-san. I hope we get to know each other well this semester.

"HOLLOW! _*whistle, beep*_ HOLLOW!"

Aaaaaand, there went that moment of peace and intrigue. Both Shinigami ran out of the classroom.

* * *

18\. Inner Hollows 101

* * *

Kaien whistled happily next to Ichigo as they headed to the Saishokou home. Ichigo's family already knew Ichigo would be back in time for dinner. They had a few hours until then. Both hopped down into Kagami's secret training room. The spacious room had better landscaping than Urahara's.

Even Ichigo appreciate the greater size and variety of terrains.

"How do any of you fit something like this down here?"

"Simple," answered Kagami-sensei. "I used a bit of forbidden Kido borrowed from Mortus-sama to erect a permanent twisted dimensional space. Oh, and I activated a nifty little feature left by a certain royal and keeper. We will train for 48 hours here, two out there. It'll make the two of you do an impression of spaghetti, but better spaghetti than dead Shinigami. Hah, that rhymed!

Alright, alright," defended Kagami after Ichigo glared at the little boy. "I'll explain. The two of you will undergo Visored training under my supervision."

"Visored?"

"Hollow-Shinigami. You have the reiatsu of a Hollow mixed with your powers as a Shinigami. That got to have been apparent the way you have nearly died in Soul Society. Am I wrong?"

Ichigo's face blanked. Kaien looked once at the uncomfortable orange-head and answered first.

"Yep! Inverted me almost succeeded in killing me, but I think he got the idea of who rules in my head. My zanpakuto spirit reassured me that Araumi won't be trouble anymore, too."

"Araumi?" asked a confused Ichigo.

"My hollow. I call him Araumi since Hollow is too generic, and I get the impression that calling him Hollow-Kaien may not be the best way to start off a relationship with the crass voice in your head." **I CAN HEAR YOU, YOU KNOW!** Are you denying your vulgarity, Araumi? **Shut it, you no-eyed freak!** Sticks and stones, sticks and stones. 'Both of you will take this conversation somewhere not in the forefront of my skull!'

Ichigo eyed his cousin with a look that said his silent conversation went on for too long again.

"Sorry, Ichigo. My hollow and zanpakuto spirit like to argue. Loudly."

"Y-you listen to him?"

"He kind of has a stake in my existence. The hollow is not separate part. It's the dark amalgam of my instincts…among other things in my case, really. But in essence, he's me and Ikuchi, too. We need each other if we want to survive. I just had to show him I can fend for myself, and I am no pushover."

"You either establish your dominance over the body permanently, or you will live in continuous fear of your darker self," elucidated Kagami-sensei. "I will be going over the basics.

Now, the two of you are what we call Visored. You were Shinigami who gained the power of a hollow. This dramatically increases all your powers as Shinigami at the price of your sanity if you don't learn control. You deal with the hollow, or you lose yourself to the inner demon.

The other type is called Arrancar. Powerful hollows can gain Shinigami powers if they can successfully remove their hollow masks.

The practice of gaining power by hybridization had tempted a great many hollow and Shinigami scientists over the centuries. The most successful hybrids were created one century ago. At that time, the Gotei 13 lost eleven fukutaicho and taicho-classed Shinigami. Can you guess who was responsible for _that_ mess? I thought so. If you discount Kisuke, Yoruichi, and Tessai-san, you have eight Visored. In addition, there are untold numbers of Arrancars running around Hueco Mundo, the home of the hollows. Both successful hybrids came about as a result of experimentations with the Hogyoku, the sphere-thing Aizen tore out of Rukia. With its power, perfect hybrids may be formed. Kisuke managed to stabilize the eight Shinigami with it when Aizen forced the transformation with his own version of it.

Lucky you two are 'natural' hybrids, in a way. You won't need either of them."

Ichigo had question marks materializing around his head. "Either?"

"Ah yes. Both Kisuke and Aizen created their own incomplete versions of the powerful orb, but Aizen probably hopes the fusion of them will complete the Hogyoku's power. Not relevant right now, but a good thing to keep in mind if you seriously want to defeat him.

As I was saying, the process is a little easier for you two. Although the two of you had made contact with your inner hollows at roughly the same time, Kaien was the only one to defeat his truly. You, Ichigo, had only managed to suppress it. You need to prove to it without a doubt that you are the boss of your body. But not through violence alone. Power and strength does not mean brute combat. You can beat it down again and again, but sooner or later, it'll get the upper hand at your weakest moment. I can't tell you how to handle it really. You need to discover how to make your hollow submit entirely to your will on your own."

"When I fought him, Araumi only gave up after I stopped fighting."

"You did WHAT?!"

"Calm down, sensei. I made it plain that I would win no matter what. His zanpakuto kind of disappeared after he tried to kill. We came to an agreement of sorts, more or less."

"Okay," said Kagami after a moment or two. "You will have to do something similar, I suppose, if you want your hollow's full power without having to constantly be on guard. Now, to confront your inner demon. I'm going to perform a series of spells to keep you put because while you confront your hollow, your body will go crazy out here. Have you ever experience a moment of total loss of control over your inner hollow?"

Ichigo nodded grimly. "During my fight with Byakuya, I lost consciousness after a particularly brutal strike. The hollow took control of my body and tried to go on a rampage, but I manage to wrest control."

Kagami-sensei nodded his head. "Good, good. You've establish that your hollow is a problem. If you do not confront it – I'll be frank – the demon will swallow you up. Fight and win. Or, you lose you die essentially. While you fight the hollow, I'll have Kaien help me in suppressing you. You have a set time to defeat it, though. Fight for too long, and the hollow will take over your soul. Are you sure you want to do this?"

The orangette thought for a while. "If I don't, the bastard will take over and hurt people, right?"

"Pretty much. I'll stop you, but there will be no turning back. You can confront it now, or you can wait while it begins to whisper in your mind, breaking your will through your insecurities."

"Will it make me stronger?"

Kagami paused, contemplating his next words. "Yes. You will have power to go beyond the standing of most taichos."

"Then, let's begin."

"Bastard Strawberry!" yelled Kaien as hollowified Ichigo rammed at him. He sent his water dragon out as a distraction and shunpoed behind the senseless beast.

"Thunder Claw and Ice Tooth!"

The electrified spear jabbed forward, stunning the hollowified Shinigami. The water dragon darted forward and slammed him into a colossal tree.

"Try Hollowification again! This is great training for it you know! Nothing beats constant risk of death training."

"Shut up, please, sensei!" Kaien flicked his fingers in a clockwise motion about his face. A white mask reminiscent of a dragon complete with a set of antlers flickered into being. The design had a blue whirlpool marking around the left eyehole and black golden flames flaring about the right eyehole.

"Try to make it longer than two minutes! We're at 66 minutes and 23 seconds! He has 2 minutes 29 seconds before we reach the record mark. And Ichigo had nearly completely hollowified!"

" **I know, I know!"** Kaien faced his spear upside down and caught the ice blade with his left hand as the water dragon tossed its head.

 **"Dragon Mouth! Dragon's Breath!"**

Black energy danced from his spear as the water dragon circled to form a large whirlpool before collapsing. The water swept up the hollow creature, and the relentless tide crashed it against a rock pillar. As the water receded, Kaien was greeted by a black orb of energy gathering in front of Ichigo's claw.

 **"Oh shit!"** Kaien was about to focus a counterattack when a surge of energy blinded him. Once the light faded, the two were greeted by the front half of Ichigo's hollow form cracking off like a used carapace. His Shinigami form now bore a white bone mask complete with black vertical stripes starting from the top and trailing pass the eyeholes and teeth.

"68 minutes and 44 seconds," softly announced Kagami-sensei.

Kaien gave an exhausted smile as his hollow mask shattered. He fell backwards on the ground the same time as Ichigo's collapse.

"How'd you feel, Strawberry?"

"Fine, baka Kaien," huffed the exhausted substitute Shinigami.

* * *

Kagami gave a small smile at his two tired students. He let the barriers he erected around the immediate vicinity fall but kept the ones around the house, and at the outer edges of the room. He clapped his hands together.

"Once you rest up, the real fun begins!" announced the gikon. He formed some green energy around his fingers. "So, sleep well, idiot Shinigami." He flicked his fingers and sent the two into dreamland

"Get ready for the _real_ training hell. We have forty more hours to get the two of you ready to confront your peers, after all~."

 _Mortus-sama knows you will be as ready as I can make you in this short time. Sleep well and be prepared. The war has yet to begin!_


End file.
